C8H10N4O2
by Hero Protagonist
Summary: Even a Korean popstar at the top of their game can't escape writer's block, and that's something that Akali wasn't prepared to face. After a few days passed with no creative drive she decides to head to Japan for a change of scenery. Looking for a quiet place to try and work on her lyrics, a friend suggests an out of the way coffee shop located in the Yongen-Jaya district of Tokyo.
1. Chapter 1

**C8H10N4O2**

 **The cover was commissioned by me and done by Ningiou on Twitter.**

* * *

"Yongen-Jaya, this is Yongen-Jaya" a synthesized voice announced, startling one of the subway passengers. "Please remember to take your belongings with you as you exit. Thank you for riding with us."

Said startled passenger was a woman that any onlooker couldn't help but do a double take when they first saw her. Her wild hairstyle that seemed to defy gravity along with her fashion set her apart from the average person. For some it wasn't what she looked like that caught their attention, but rather the fact that they were within walking distance of her that did. K/DA's presence was still relatively new to the music scene, but that hadn't stopped their hit songs from creating groups of fans in several different pockets of the globe. Those fans immediately fell in love with the four stars of the group and that was something Akali learned relatively quickly.

The subway's announcement hadn't been unexpected to her, but it had roused her from a state of thought she wasn't aware had consumed her. Adjusting her hat and shutting the notebook that laid in her lap, she quickly stood from her seat. The notebook's hardcover concealed the few words she had written since purchasing it, but the layer of security did little to hide away the preserved mental image of the page she had been staring at. Lines traveled from East to West on the white paper, but not a single letter rode them from one side to the other. She had moved her pen down once, twice, three times, but each time it immediately came back up. None of her usual brainstorming techniques were proving useful. The first few pages were near incomprehensible with several words and phrases scratched out of existence.

The creativity afflicted woman sighed as her shoes carried her onto the subway platform and up a set of stairs. She had evaded paparazzi, starstruck fans, even the image her parents had planned for her since before she was born, but even she couldn't avoid writer's block. Her fellow group members had several suggestions for her to combat this creative curse, but they all failed to be the remedy.

Traveling to Japan for a change in scenery was her last ditch effort before… well, she wasn't quite sure what would follow if this failed. It certainly wouldn't be the end of her musical career, she'd be damned if an obstacle like this took her out of the game, but she knew if she couldn't love the words she wrote it would turn a hobby she once loved into a crippling slog.

The trip so far had been a good idea, it allowed Akali to reconnect with some old friends and it reminded her that her Japanese would always have room for improvement. While she was here she had leaned toward penning verses in the natively spoken language. It was another change thrown into one of her creative routines, but sadly it had yet to have any sort of pay out.

She adjusted her hat once more as she navigated Yongen-Jaya station, her focus had gotten away from her long enough and she was navigating an area she didn't visit often. Looking down at her phone she double checked the address that her friend had sent her. She still had a bit of a walk ahead of her, but she was happy knowing that she was on the right track. Her only fear was that she'd arrive too late as her day had been full of ups and downs with dusk now beginning to set in. Sadly, she'd encounter one more familiar obstacle before she'd step foot outside of the station.

"Woah, what the eff! Isn't that the chick Futaba has been freaking out about?" a male voice exclaimed loud enough for the dead to hear.

"Weren't you ever taught that it's impolite to- Oh my gosh I think it is!" a female voice replied.

Akali was thankful she wasn't facing them as it gave her time to make sure any displeasure wasn't present on her face. Ninety-nine percent of the time she adored her fans and would never feel any sort of discomfort at being recognized, but they had caught her on one of the most inopportune days at the most inopportune time. Not to mention it always felt weird when fans said phrases that made her feel like she was some sort of exhibit at a zoo instead of a human being. She did her best to show she was real just like anyone else, never compromising her previous hobbies like rapping and performing on the street just because she had achieved some fame.

With her composure collected, the popstar turned to see two blondes that had just entered the station bounding toward her. The male was the taller one of the two with a bit of a slouch that seemed to express disinterest despite his outburst while the female was definitely the more energetic, practically bouncing along with her twin tails with each step she took. Both were wearing variations of what seemed to be a school uniform.

"Hey! Akali!" the female called despite both of them already having her attention as they caught up.

"Hey guys!" Akali replied in the cheeriest voice she could muster, "what can I do for ya?"

"Can we pleeeeeeaasssssse get an autograph?"

Before she could agree the taller one felt the need to interject.

"Why do you want one, you don't even listen to- OW!"

"It's not for me," the girl explained as she shot her friend a look while pulling her elbow away from his ribs. "Don't you ever think about anyone but yourself?"

Akali had to stifle a laugh at the sudden shift things had taken. Even without knowing either of them it was easy to tell these two had known each other for quite some time. With two people so expressive she couldn't help but tease the two as her forced smile shifted to a smirk, "oooo, gonna sell it on the Internet?"

Her playful remark was right on target and the girl immediately became a little flustered with shock spreading over her face, "No, I would never! That'd be so lame!"

The popstar laughed, "I'm just kidding! Who's the autograph for?"

"It's for our friend Futaba, she's been listening to your album nonstop," twin tails explained as she quickly regained her composure and began digging through her book bag. "She wanted to get tickets for your concert in Tokyo but she's really shy and not the best with crowds…"

Akali nodded understandingly and accepted the notebook and pen handed to her, placing her own in one of her jacket pockets. "What's she into?"

"Ummm… video games, food, anime, manga, computers…"

Akali smiled as she finished writing in the girl's notebook, "got it, here you go."

The blonde beamed as she put her notebook back in her bag before her face became apologetic, "I know my amazing 'friend' here called me out but do you think that-"

"We could take a picture?" the popstar finished her question, receiving a bashful nod in reply. "Of course!"

* * *

Dusk had comfortably set in by the time Akali arrived at her destination. The unexpected meeting with the two friends of one of her fans had gone a little longer with them introducing themselves while throwing a few compliments her way. A few people had stopped and stared at the strange interaction but had promptly returned to their own business. Outside of the station she had two more run ins with fans, but luckily they were rather short.

She pulled up her phone once more to check if she had the right place, and sure enough, she did. In front of her sat a small coffee shop that had a red and white awning sitting over the door which simply said, 'curry & coffee Leblanc'. She began to breathe a sigh of relief but was stopped as the French door began to swing inward revealing a bespectacled barista with black unkempt hair. His hand began reaching for the 'Open' sign which was about to change her sigh of relief to a sigh of defeat but he stopped short.

"Good evening," he greeted, his voice warm and welcoming. While Akali had trouble deciding whether to ask if they were closed or to reply back in a simple greeting he continued. "Did you want to come in?"

"I…" She began, uncharacteristically flustered, "if you're not closing for today, yes please."

He smiled, "well we're closing but I'm willing to make an exception."

"Why?" she asked cautiously, used to being offered the bending of rules simply because of her fame. Getting special treatment was one thing about stardom that she hoped she'd never like.

"Because you looked at me like I had just told you that your pet hamster died while you were away."

The popstar felt her cheeks warm up as she realized how obvious she had made her disappointment. "Well if it's really okay-"

"Six PM me says it's alright but I don't know about six-o-five PM me so you better choose quick," he replied with his customer service smile becoming playful.

"Six PM me has decided to follow you in then," she smiled back.

"Sounds good," he pulled the door the rest of the way inward, leaning against it and gesturing her inside.

She gave her thanks and stepped into a cafe that was the perfect combination of unique yet ordinary. Rustic booths with stained glass lamp shades hovering above them sat on the left side while a bar counter with tall chairs sat on the right. It was the cafe equivalent of being in a diner that hadn't updated its look for decades but by doing so it had set itself apart from the rest. The warm lighting and color palette gave off a feeling of comfort that Akali normally only achieved at home.

"Now you look like I had just given you your first pet hamster," the barista teased as he headed behind the counter after flipping the door sign to 'Closed'.

She couldn't help but giggle a little at the remark as she sat at the counter, "why do I look like someone who is so infatuated with hamsters?"

"Well I'd say cat instead, but mine would throw a fit if he overheard me talking about cats dying or being given away."

"Sounds like a moody cat."

He laughed, "he certainly has his moments."

As if right on cue a hissing noise could be heard coming from a short hallway located deeper inside the cafe. Akali turned to see a black cat with white paws holding what seemed to be a displeased look in its cyan eyes. It strutted toward her with typical catty confidence that was to be expected from, well, a cat.

"Meow," it called as it jumped into the seat next to hers, its attention directed at its owner.

"Morgana it's six!" its owner replied an immediately exasperated tone causing Akali to raise an eyebrow.

"You talk to cats?" she asked, the animal in question shifting its focus to her.

"Just this one," he sighed. "He's trying to tell me it's time for bed."

The popstar laughed, "isn't Morgana a girl's name?"

Morgana hissed.

"Well now you've done it," the barista snickered, "he's cross with you now."

"Oh no! How do I make it up to him?"

Morgana meowed.

"He says there is no making it up to him and it was a direct act of war."

"Really?" she replied, curiously staring at the cat that was now glaring at her.

"Yep."

"Not even if I…" Akali began, slowing reaching for Morgana who was now leaning back and staring at her hand like it was diseased. The poor cat was defenseless as her fingers began to scratch between its ears, its previous hisses immediately replaced by purrs.

The barista who had simply watched this unfold with a smile on his face translated for his pet again, "he says that's unfair and he refuses to go to war with someone that fights without honor."

"So all is forgiven?" Akali's blue eyes moved back to meet the barista's steel ones. In that moment she had to admit he was cute. When she first saw him he seemed pretty ordinary, but now having talked to him a little longer she could tell there was something different about him.

"Basically," he replied, holding her eye contact before clearing his throat. "Anyway, what would you like? We've got more coffee beans in here than I can keep track of and curry that pairs perfectly with each one."

"Oh right, I'm in a coffee shop," she laughed, leaning back in her seat to examine a chalkboard that advertised flavors and specials. Of course she made sure not to compromise petting Morgana, lest he declare war on her once again. She had enough fights with catty personalities to last a lifetime.

"Well..." she returned her focus to the barista, "your name sounds like a good place to start."

He turned to look at the chalkboard, "huh, that's weird. I don't see a 'your name' blend up there."

Akali chuckled, "does this place close at six because after then an evil curse turns you into a smartass?"

He laughed, "no, it's because wearing this apron for much longer is damn near torture."

"Why don't you just take it off then?"

The barista looked askance, "this isn't that kind of establishment, miss."

"Oh my god," the popstar rolled her eyes, "I must've walked into the wrong place by accident then. You're lucky your cat is cute or else I would've just walked right out hearing that news."

"Morgana tends to be my ace in the hole."

"Not this time though, because I haven't forgotten that I asked you for your name."

He put his hands up in defeat, "very well, you've caught me. My name's Akira."

"That wasn't too hard now was it?" she smiled and extended her non-dedicated cat scratching/petting hand, "I'm Akali."

Akira returned the gesture, exchanging a welcoming yet firm handshake. His hand felt soft to the touch, but there was something extra to the way he gripped hers that felt… unexpected. It wasn't a bad thing, but it just felt like something a simple barista wouldn't have. The closest thing she could equate it to was the fighters in the dojo she grew up in. It always felt like they transitioned their strength and social standing into everything they did, even to something simple as handshakes.

Deciding to put her theory to the test she ordered the house blend and while she didn't understand just how curry went well with coffee, she asked for his recommendation. After that she simply observed him, forgetting about Morgana, ignoring the TV in the corner of the cafe where people were advertising useless miracle products, even forgetting about how all over the place her day had been. She didn't know all the steps that went into making a cup of coffee, but she was still impressed by the agility and accuracy of each of Akira's movements. Just like the students in her parent's dojo, he made every move with confidence.

"How's the view space cadet?" the barista that had been the center of her thoughts asked as he waved his hand back and forth.

Akali nearly jumped in embarrassment when she realized she had spaced out while blatantly staring. In only a handful of minutes she had unknowingly sunk into her chair while propping her elbow up onto the counter to rest her head on her hand. "Uh, out of this world?"

"Nice save," he commended as he placed her order in front of her. "Enjoy."

The first thing that hit her was the aroma of the coffee, it had a strong sweet scent to it that yanked her out of her daze. It was almost as if drinking the coffee wasn't necessary to wake the person up. She held the cup in both of her hands, blowing on her drink to try and calm the heat. It smelled so good she couldn't help but be impatient and she took a tentative sip, the hot liquid burning her lips for a quick second.

She must've let out a sound of discomfort because without looking up from the cleaning he was doing Akira chuckled, "careful, it's hot."

"Now you tell me," Akali felt herself smile once more. She couldn't remember the last time she had a conversation this fun with a complete stranger. "Anything else I should know before I continue with my meal? Maybe that this chair has four legs or that my hat covers my head?"

"I can't just give away wisdom like that for free."

"This place must really be struggling if you're charging for that."

"That sounds like something a person who hasn't tried the curry would say."

"Is that right?" Akali took another sip from her coffee. This time its sweet and nutty flavor coated her tongue making her taste buds dance in unison. She had to stop herself from immediately drinking the rest of it, the warm drink almost breathing new life into her. She set the cup down and could see Akira just smiling out of the corner of her eye.

That sip of coffee alone blew every other one she'd ever had out of the water. But she still felt a bit cautious about pairing something like curry with it. She picked up her spoon and dug it into the rice, picking up a moderately sized bite of the red curry.

The second she tasted it she regretted questioning the combination. The spicy dish complemented the sweet drink so well and she was melting into her chair all over again. If any of her bandmates tried this they'd be dancing in their seats. Even Evelyn would have a hard time keeping up a disinterested face.

During this thought Akira had momentarily disappeared from view after heading toward a back corner of the cafe. The sound of him washing a dish or two could be heard before he came back around and smiled. "Now you look like-"

"I found out my pet hamster learned how to dance?" Akali guessed, causing him to laugh.

"No, like someone who is really enjoying their meal."

"And here I thought one of us had an obsession with hamsters."

"Nope," he replied, looking over the counter at a napping Morgana. "Just talking cats."

The conversation fell to a comfortable silence after that. Akali noticed Akira busying himself with small tasks around the cafe before he returned back behind the counter, a book in one hand. She was a little curious as to what he was reading, but the cover lacked a title. The silence allowed her to sit and enjoy the rest of her food while basking in the air of comfort the little cafe provided. It continued to remind her of being at home but even this felt different.

She loved her bandmates in KDA, wouldn't trade them for the world, but living with them meant never escaping the pressure to keep climbing in her career. That came with its pros and its cons. She got to see her friends every day and she could just walk around the house to find three huge reasons to be motivated to keep working and creating art, but that also meant never truly being able to be alone. Sure she could lock herself in her room to sit in isolation, but everything in that sanctuary was bought with money earned through her K-pop career and would serve as a constant reminder to keep working even if she might not feel mentally up to it. This was all without mentioning that it would make her bandmates worry and add unnecessary stress to their lives.

Here there was no fans to meet, no huge responsibilities to take care of, and no pressure to be firing on all cylinders all the time. There was just amazing coffee and curry with even better conversation on the side. She had to admit that in a way she was surprised that her career hadn't been brought up. It was entirely possible that Akira had never heard of her or K/DA, but they were still in Tokyo, a place her group always hit when on tour. The likelihood of him never seeing an advertisement for one of their shows on one the many incandescent screens around the city was pretty low. Not that she minded though, if anything the lack of comment on her profession is what made being here at this moment so desirable.

"Hey," Akira's voice brought Akali out of her trance to see him gesturing to her empty dishes. He had an embarrassed look on his face, his confidence from before nowhere to be seen. "I'm really sorry, I'd normally offer you more and let you stay as long as you'd like but I promised a friend I'd help them with something and I completely forgot."

"No worries that's completely okay!" Akali tried to assure him, "you guys are technically closed anyway and I really appreciate you letting me in despite that. I-" she hesitated a beat, "I really needed this."

"I'm glad you enjoyed what you ordered," he smiled, regaining his composure. "I'm still really sorry though, I'll make it up to you if you decide to come again."

"No no, it's really okay. You don't have to make anything up to me." She insisted as she stood from her seat. "Just let me know how much I owe you and I'll be on my way out."

Despite trying her best to reassure him, Akali still saw the apologetic look in his eyes as he rang her up. She really didn't understand why as she had pointed out that he stayed open for her, but it did say a bit about the kind of person he was. She made sure she had her belongings before heading for the door, but something stopped her as she began to open it.

"Hey Akira," she called, throwing a look over her shoulder to make sure she had his attention.

"Hmm?"

"The coffee and curry were delicious but they weren't the only thing I enjoyed."

* * *

 **Phantom Thieves Group Chat:**

*Ann has posted a picture*

 **Ann:** Fuuuuutaba you'll never guess who we ran into!

 **Futaba:** ( ; O ;) Why didn't you tell me sooner?!

 **Ryuji:** We were at the station and she was just there.

 **Futaba:** T-T Life is pain!

 **Ann:** For what it's worth, I got her to write you an autograph in my notebook.

 **Futaba:** L( ' O ' L) GIVE IT HERE WOMAN!

 **Ann:** I'll give it to Akira the next time I see him.

 **Futaba:** Akira! Y( '-')y Fetch!

 **Akira:** Woof.

* * *

 **A/N:** Quick little author's note, this is probably going to be a two or three part one shot. Not too sure how far I want to take Akira and Akali's friendship but we'll see how I'm feeling. Also this is the first Persona x LoL fanfic and it's a silly oneshot, rip. This is the first chapter of something that I've completed in a while so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm rusty. Hopefully you enjoyed what you've read so far and please consider leaving a review if you did.


	2. Chapter 2

**C8H10N4O2** **(Part 2)**

 **A/N:** Quick little author's note, since this is about a popstar I am probably going to have lyrics in here at some point but they are all going to be in English and they will be from actual songs that already exist. (If you know which ones they are from, you get a cookie and I hope you appreciate my selection.) I would make up lyrics, but I'm not a songwriter and I can't do K/DA like that lol. Just wanted to say that these songs are all in English, but I'm imagining it as if some of the words are exchanged for Korean but ultimately mean the same thing.

 **Also** real quick, the first chapter didn't have major **Persona 5 spoilers** and neither did this one, but the ones that follow may have some. Just wanted to toss out a warning here and I will do the same with other parts.

* * *

Akali's next morning went by in a blur. Despite her creative handicap, she still needed to work on K/DA's next performance. If not penning new verses and getting feedback, then at the very least she needed to be in the loop to know which direction their projects were going in. To make that happen she connected with the other members via a video call from her hotel room while they alternated between practicing and discussing their new song in the studio in Korea.

The theme of their new project had to do with how immersed a lot people had become with different pieces of technology. People were absorbed with things like social media, often so infatuated that they lose sight of what was truly important to them along with their own identity. K/DA wasn't trying to preach about the dangers of technology, but more remind people that their lives were so much more than their online image.

There were two empty parts in the song that were left for Akali to rap on, but she still couldn't come up with anything she felt did the parts justice. She had until the end of this week, when she returned to Korea, to figure something out before the other three members would draft lyrics themselves. Not that they wanted to do that, but they also didn't want to slow the momentum K/DA had. Each member was very supportive in their own way. Ahri and Kai'Sa had assured her that if they could do anything to help they would while Evelynn had said that she didn't want to hear another verse until Akali truly felt confident in it.

After the video call ended she headed to the hotel gym and performed her scheduled routine before pulling up videos Kai'Sa sent her showcasing the dance that would accompany the song. After finishing up her own practice and taking a shower, she headed for Leblanc, her outfit and makeup almost an afterthought. She had opted for something a little less flashy this time, choosing a black leather jacket that matched her black canvas sneakers, a white tank top, blue skinny jeans, and of course her hat that sat on top of her 'iconic' hair style.

It was mid-day by the time she found herself standing outside of the coffee shop. This time there wasn't a six PM Akira to greet her which she wasn't sure how she felt about, but at least it meant that there was little chance of the sign being flipped any time soon. For a moment she stood there just staring, equal parts excited and nervous. Excited because she now had a quiet or at least chill place to work, and nervous because… well she wasn't quite sure why she felt nervous. She had made a new friend, or at least, she felt she had. At the very least she hoped he'd be someone to talk to… if the place wasn't too busy of course. Pushing those thoughts aside she stepped forward and reached for the door knob.

Her heart sank when she stepped inside. The first person she saw was a customer sitting at one of the booths who was looking in the direction of TV. That was to be expected, it was a coffee shop during the middle of the day, but it was the person behind the counter that left her a little disappointed. Where Akira stood the night before was a middle-aged man with slicked-back dark hair. He also wore glasses but while Akira had worn a white button up under a green apron, this man wore a pink dress shirt under a black apron.

"Welcome to Leblanc," he greeted with a gruff yet friendly voice as he gestured toward the hanging chalkboards over the counter. "We have our menu and specials up here, just let me know when you're ready to order."

"Good day-" Akali began to return the greeting before being interrupted.

"Woah!" the only patron in the cafe was now looking at her, "you're a singer aren't you?"

She felt her heart sink once more, the two main reasons she enjoyed herself so much the night before were no longer here. Akira was nowhere to be seen, and someone had immediately recognized her. Well, kind of recognized her. The customer was also a middle-aged man like the current barista so it was unlikely that he was an adamant K/DA listener. She had encountered this before and he was most likely the father of a fan, she couldn't really fault him for wanting an autograph or even not being sure of who she was.

"My daughter plays your music non-stop, and while-"

Now it was his turn to be interrupted, but it was by the man behind the counter.

"Please don't bother my other customers."

"But I'm not bothering her, I'm just asking for-"

"I know, but there are appropriate places to ask and my coffee shop isn't one of them. You're one of my regulars and you're making me look bad."

"I-" the man began to protest before hanging his head in defeat. "You're right Boss. I'm sorry miss."

Akali was in shock, had she really made some sort of face of displeasure? If she had she certainly hadn't intended to. She really needed to learn to keep her emotions in check if last night and now today were indicators to how easily her face was read. A palpable beat of time passed before she was able to reply.

"No no, it's really okay" she assured the fan's father and the barista that had defended her at once. "If not for dedicated fans like your daughter I wouldn't be where I am today. What'd you like for her, an autograph?"

"Yes please!" he replied, nodding enthusiastically before stopping short. "Well actually I don't have anything to write on… Do you think we could take a picture with my phone and you could send it to her in a text with a short message?"

It certainly wasn't the strangest request, and normally she'd be opposed to touching someone else's personal belongings but she did offer. After doing as he requested he thanked her, paid for what he ordered and quickly left. She was thankful for that, because even though everything had been settled quickly, there was definitely still a tense atmosphere in the cafe.

"I'm really sorry about that," the barista apologized as she sat down at the counter.

"It's really okay, I'm used to it by now."

"Still, that's really not something that I want to be normal in my cafe."

"Was he an employee or something?"

"Him?" he laughed, "no, but like I said he's one of my regulars. He knows the rules."

"Why'd he call you boss?"

He chuckled again, his glasses moving a little on the bridge of his nose. "Oh that, that's just something people call me. It just kind of stuck."

"Oh," she nodded sheepishly.

She ordered the house blend but no curry this time. Since Akira wasn't here she pulled out her notebook from her jacket pocket and decided that it would be an afternoon of trying to see if any of her verses stuck.

Her coffee was presented after a few minutes of staring at a blank page. And after a few more, Akali looked up at the barista who was now staring over at the TV although he didn't seem very interested.

"Did I look that upset when he was asking for an autograph?"

He turned back to her, "I wouldn't say upset, more… disappointed. Like it was one of the last things you wanted to do right that moment."

She gasped, the last thing she wanted to do was have people interact with her and leave thinking she was rude.

The man smiled, "don't worry about it, I don't think he noticed. If he did he would've apologized sooner."

"That's a relief."

"If I'm being honest though, you looked disappointed from the second you walked in."

"Oh," Akali replied, feeling a bit sheepish again, "I'm sorry."

The man's friendly demeanor didn't shift though, "No need to apologize. I didn't mean it as an accusation, just an observation."

He didn't say anything more, turning back to the television. Even though he didn't directly ask, Akali still felt like she had to explain herself, she already might've given the wrong impression once.

"It's just that I was expecting to see someone else is all."

"Someone stood you up?"

She almost spit out the coffee she had begun to drink, the question catching her off guard. "No!" she answered, a little flustered. "Not like that, it's just that he was the one working when I was here last night."

A wave of understanding moved across his face as he rubbed at his chinstrap beard, "ah, you met Akira."

She nodded.

"He didn't bother you did he?"

This time she enthusiastically shook her head, "no, more of the opposite if it's my turn to be honest."

"That's good, never know with him."

That comment made her raise an eyebrow, but she decided to ask something else.

"Does he work here often?"

"Just when I need him."

This time she tried really hard to make sure her expression didn't change, even if she was a little disappointed hearing that if she wanted to talk to him again she'd have to guess correctly. Either that or stop by several times a day, but even then it was possible she wouldn't see him before she returned to Korea.

"Did you want me to call him down?" the barista asked, making her believe that her poker face must've failed miserably.

'ABSOLUTELY NOT!' Akali screamed internally. How could he ask something like that so nonchalantly? It would send the entirely wrong message; besides why would someone want to show up to work on a day off? It was Sunday, he was probably out with friends or something. She did her best to stop horror from filling her face at the thought of Akira getting a call from one of his coworkers saying that she was there hoping to talk to him. She had only spoken to him once so far and she didn't need him thinking she was a complete weirdo before she got the chance to talk to him again.

"N-no," she answered, "that's fine, thanks."

"Alright then."

She let out a breath she hadn't realize she had been holding before sipping her coffee and opening her notebook again. The lines were still empty, taunting her as they had been for the past few days. The first step to conquering a blank page was writing something on it, anything. So she began listing several different pieces of technology: televisions, phones, computers, etc. She wrote simple rhymes for each word, seeing how she could connect them. The comfortable atmosphere of the cafe assisted more than she initially thought. There wasn't a single distraction since she sat down and began. No noisy streets or customers, the television was easily tuned out, and the barista didn't try to start up a conversation when she clearly was focused on something else.

Her writer's block wasn't gone, not by a long shot, but it felt good to actually get some words down on paper. Even if they never became anything, at the very least the black ink dominated wherever she deployed it. She felt she had a good thing going until she looked up to see an analog clock hanging from the wall stating that only five minutes had passed and she was already out of ideas.

She let out an audible groan before planting her face on her notebook, momentarily forgetting she was in the presence of another person. A quick glance upward reminded her of the barista's existence but he was still looking at the TV, something she was thankful for. With a sigh she turned the page and began to repeat the process. It wasn't fun, and maybe it wasn't even helpful, but keeping her pen moving felt like the right thing to do. Before she could finish this time however, the sound of footsteps distracted her.

She turned to look toward the hall that went a little deeper into the building, the footsteps she heard becoming a little louder, as if someone was descending a set of stairs. Her eyes shifted over to the man behind the counter but he wasn't reacting to it, instead heading toward the back corner she had heard Akira cleaning dishes in the night before. This time she had chosen a seat closer toward the center of the counter, giving her full view of the small kitchen area placed within the corner.

"Hey Boss, I'm heading-" a familiar voice said from the hallway, immediately commanding Akali's attention as the newcomer's sentence was cut short before beginning again. "Oh hey, nice to see you again."

Akira was standing in the hallway, pocketing his phone as he walked toward Akali. His glasses were present as well as his hair still being messy, but his attire was different from his work clothes. He managed to look even more casual without an apron, his outfit consisting of a black blazer over a cream-colored shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes. The smile from the previous evening still present and as friendly.

The man behind the counter spoke before she could reply, "oh Akira, glad you decided to come down. I'm going to step out for a moment can you watch things while I'm gone?"

The bespectacled boy nodded as he took a seat next to Akali who didn't miss the knowing smile on the older man's face as he walked out.

"You look-"

"If you say something about hamsters I'm leaving."

"-surprised to see me."

"Well duh!" Akali replied, "how was I supposed to know you were here?"

He raised an eyebrow, "I live here."

"In a coffee shop?!"

"In the attic of a coffee shop."

Akali was shifting between a state of humor and disbelief. "How was I supposed to know?"

He shrugged, "people generally don't bring their cats to work."

"Maybe I thought you just really liked cats!"

He laughed, "maybe."

There was a brief lull in the conversation before she continued with the subject, "Where is Morgana anyway?"

"Upstairs, sleeping."

"Surprised he let you stay awake this long."

"Had to do a lot of deception to be able to get down here, you have no idea."

Akali laughed, "so you just scratched his head until he fell asleep and then ran down here then?"

"Pretty much," Akira chuckled, rubbing at the back of his neck.

Another lull and then just silence with neither saying anything, just staring, not unlike the evening before. The soft blue of Akali's eyes not backing down from the dulled gray of Akira's. Even though his gaze wasn't penetrating, the longer their eyes were locked the more time butterflies had to collect in her stomach. She wasn't quite sure why she was beginning to feel nervous, but there was just something about him that made her want to come off as the best version of her. There was just something about his soft laugh that made her want to be the reason she heard it. Something about being given his attention that made her want to keep it.

She cleared her throat, "weren't you on your way out?"

"Right, I was," he replied but didn't move from his seat. "But I do still have to make up for kicking you out yesterday."

"Oh stop, you didn't kick me out. If anything, you did the opposite and you know it."

"Before kicking you out, yeah," he corrected before continuing, "so to make it up to you-"

"You're not gonna budge on this are you?"

"Nope! -I have two ideas."

"And I have two ears," she replied before playfully looking up thoughtfully, "although I might have to consider lending you one so you can listen to me."

"Ha ha, anyway. One option is staying here and I can get you some more coffee, or," he stressed the conjunction, "we can go to this ramen place a friend took me to in Ogikubo."

"Well saying here sounds ni-" Akali stopped herself short, "wait, did you say ramen?"

He nodded.

"We have a winner."

* * *

Akali was now convinced that ever since she left the hotel this morning the world had decided it was going to make it its mission to fluster her as much as possible. The subway that pulled into Yongen-Jaya station was packed and that meant having to awkwardly lean into a certain cute barista that she had met only yesterday. She was far from ready for another staring contest and she immediately looked in a different direction when they boarded. Although if Akira doing the exact same was any indication, it seemed he wasn't quite ready for that either.

Just like the night before when he had a very embarrassed and apologetic expression, Akali appreciated seeing him like this. At first glance she'd call it vulnerability, but in all reality it was more important to her because it showed that he was also _real_. He wasn't just a smooth talker to make her feel as comfortable where he worked to get her to spend as much money as possible. She had her doubts before, but asking if she wanted to get ramen dashed those quickly.

Like their subway, Ogikubo was crowded but with ramen shops as well as people. There were so many places to choose from, but Akira had said he had one in mind and they quickly got in line. Sounds of laughter and different discussion surrounded the pair as everyone around them enjoyed their Sunday in one way or another.

"So," Akali turned to look at her companion, quickly realizing he was almost a head taller than her. "How were you going to spend your Sunday before I showed up?"

He shrugged, "I was going to head to Shibuya and see if anything caught my eye." He paused for a moment before adding a smile, "turns out I don't need to leave Leblanc for that to happen though."

Akali didn't let him catch her off guard, "yea, can't keep my eyes off of a cute barista that works there."

"I think Boss is a little too old for you."

She playfully smacked his arm, "don't try to smooth talk me and then not let me do it in return."

"Fine," he let out an exaggerated sigh, "but only because you asked nicely."

"Besides, Boss would never take me on a date so now you can't say being in second place is a bad thing."

"A date?"

"You know what I mean!"

The conversation fell to a comfortable silence with both of them seeming to just enjoy being in the other's presence. The line continued to move and as they got closer to the entrance, Akali decided to sate her curiosity.

"So other than smooth talk and work at a coffee shop, what do you-"

"Hey!" a female voice demanded their attention, "are you Akali from K/DA?"

Of course, she thought to herself, but not as caught off guard as the times before. She was more surprised it hadn't happened sooner, they were in public after all, but naturally it had to happen when she wasn't completely prepared. She had been looking at Akira while she was asking her question but when the fan approached nothing about his demeanor changed which was a surprise.

She quickly turned to address the fan with a smile, "yeah that's me!"

"Can I please take a picture with you?" the fan, who looked to be around Akali's age, asked as her face lit up.

"Of course!"

"Thank you so much!" the fan quickly fumbled in her bag for her phone, the sun overhead shining off of the glitter covered K/DA case that was revealed to be on it when she finally pulled it out. She paused for a second to look at Akira and then back to Akali, "Is it okay if your boyfriend takes it?"

Out of the corner of her eye Akali saw Akira react in almost the same way she did but she was quicker to speak, "oh he's not-"

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" the fan quickly apologized, not allowing the popstar the full sentence to correct her. "My friend just said she heard something about a date when she walked past you guys earlier."

"It's alright," Akali assured her, "just a little misunderstanding."

The fan turned to Akira with a pleading look but didn't need to ask her question again as he nodded and took the phone handed to him. It was clear that getting the picture really made the girl's day and she walked away with a smile, but not before apologizing once more about the misunderstanding. Akali was going to ask her companion about his feelings on the interaction but they reached the front of the line and were ushered inside.

It hadn't been that long since she had stepped into a ramen shop, but the amount of options were always staggering. The place Akira had chosen allowed customers to not only chose from premade combinations but also to create their own bowls if they wanted. With that much power at her fingertips, Akali set to work making the spiciest combination that would sate her drive to set her tongue on fire while being too delicious to back down from. The end result made one of the chefs stop what he was doing so he could ask if she was absolutely sure this was what she wanted. He couldn't help but shrug when she replied with a confident nod.

She turned to Akira who was folding the small paper bag his chopsticks had been in into a small holder so the tips didn't touch the table. There was a question she was forgetting that she had been meaning to ask, but before she could recall it her brain got side tracked by a conversation two other patrons were having.

"The Phantom Thieves are real, I'm telling you!"

"I'll believe it when I see it, all of the examples you've given could've been pure coincidence. There's just no way you can 'steal' someone's heart."

'Phantom Thieves' was a name she had heard at least ten times despite only landing in Japan two days ago. At first she thought it might be some sort of band or a movie but when they were brought up it was generally about if they were real or not. She'd usually be busy or more interested with something else whenever they were mentioned so she only picked up bits and pieces.

"Hey," she brought her focus back to Akira, "who are these 'Phantom Thieves" I keep hearing about?"

He looked a little surprised, "you haven't heard of them before?"

She shook her head, "I've heard the name since I got back to Japan, but I haven't heard of them before then."

He hummed, "well it depends on who you ask. All I ever hear about them is whether or not what they're doing is their doing or if it's legal or not."

"Same here, but I don't exactly know what it is they do."

"Apparently, steal people's hearts."

"So they kill people?"

"No, I think it's a metaphor, it's more like taking their ability, drive, or will to keep doing something that the person has been doing for a while."

She paused, "so like… writer's block?"

That made him laugh, "uhh, maybe, but from what I've seen and heard so far it seems the people they have 'stolen' hearts from have all been terrible people."

"How do you know who they've supposedly affected?"

Akira pulled out his phone, "they have a fan site where people request and theorycraft potential targets." He pulled it up and showed it to her, a sleek red, black, and white layout greeting her eyes with the word 'Phansite' sitting in the top right corner.

"Got any examples and do people have any proof?"

"Examples would leave a bad taste in my mouth," he smiled weakly, sending the message that he wanted to move on from the subject.

"Ah, not ideal since we're about to eat," Akali nodded understandingly.

"Why? Thinking about writing a song about them?"

"Hah, so you did know."

"Mhm."

"Is that why you let me come in after closing hours?"

"Nope."

Akali almost let out a sigh of relief. Even though since the second she stepped into Leblanc it didn't seem like he did it because of her profession, it was still relieving to hear him confirm it.

Any more conversation was set aside for later as their bowls of ramen arrived. Just based on looks alone the two bowls were very different. Akira's ingredients retained most of their natural color while all of Akali's had a red-orange hue to them thanks to the spicy options she chose.

Neither wasted any time and dug in, their chopsticks diving under the broth to capture as many noodles as they could. Akali couldn't be happier with her selections as this bowl quickly proved to be her favorite ramen she'd had so far. That meant a lot considering her obsession with the dish.

It wasn't long before she was considering asking for extra noodles, and that's when she saw Akira staring at her out of the corner of her eye. She had been so focused on her meal that she hadn't realized he was just watching her eat with an amused expression.

"Is there something on my face?" she asked.

"Yeah," he smirked playfully, causing Akali to drop her chopsticks into her bowl and reach for a napkin.

"That's embarrassing," she murmured as she brought the napkin closer to her face.

"Aw, it's gone already," he pointed out before the soft paper got a chance to touch her mouth.

"What do you mean?" She stared at the clean napkin for a second. "What was it?"

"Your beautiful smile."

* * *

 **A/N:** No lyrics yet, but maybe enough of a hint to guess what kind of songs I'll be choosing. I doubt it's too obvious though.

I hope Akali isn't coming off as too OOC. Normal Akali is super edgy/one woman army and I think that's really cool, but K/DA Akali seems like the opposite. What I've gathered from the K/DA interview is that she is far more energetic, playful, and optimistic. Definitely still pretty independent but also understands the value of having people to support you.

Hope you enjoyed this part as much as the first! Please consider leaving a review whether positive of negative. :) Next part coming soon hopefully?


	3. Chapter 3

**C8H10N4O2** **(Part 3)**

"I still can't get over the look on your face when you tried my ramen," Akali couldn't stop herself from laughing as she recalled a bewildered yet very in pain Akira. "I was so sure you were going to cough up a lung!"

"Well at the time I wasn't aware that it was legal to serve actual lava to customers," he defended as he lead the way back to the station.

"Oh come on, you serve spicy curry at Leblanc, it can't have been that bad."

"It was definitely that bad."

"Wimp."

He laughed, "the typical human isn't resistant to fire."

"Whatever!" she replied, sticking her tongue out at him before changing the subject. "So what're your plans now?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

He stopped moving, bringing his hand up to his chin as if thinking hard on it. "Well, I want to ask this cute girl I'm currently with if she'd like to go to another place with me."

"Is that so?" she stopped next to him with an expression of exaggerated surprise. "Doesn't seem so tough, just ask."

"Hey Akali," he began.

"Hey Akira."

"Want to go to another place with me?"

She didn't reply immediately, "hmmm, I don't know… I'm kind of busy…"

"Ah… some other time then."

She giggled, "I'm kidding, I'd love to. Where did you have in mind?"

They began moving again, both with their almost omnipresent smiles that they had when talking to each other.

"There's a nice part of Inokashira that a friend showed me and I'd like to share it with you."

"Ooh, we'll see if your friend is two for two then 'cause I loved that ramen shop."

"Different friend actually."

She wiggled an eyebrow, "popular aren't we?"

"Of course," he stated with pride, "no doting fans quite yet though. Speaking of which."

As if on cue, a group of teenagers could be seen heading toward them with excitement on their faces. They had almost made it back to the station without being held up, but as Akali knew, it was inevitable. This time there was no surprise or disappointment though, her happiness from enjoying her time with Akira carrying over seamlessly. She took her time interacting with the group, signing autographs and taking multiple pictures. One asked her to freestyle over a beat they made to which she politely declined. Thankfully they respected her wishes.

That request happened way more often than she liked.

On occasion she'd throw a glance at Akira who stood next to her through it all, not a trace of discomfort or displeasure in his eyes. Another thing she was thankful for was the lack of vocal assumptions that they were dating, and for the most part they kept their focus on her. A girl in the group asked him who he was to which he replied that he was K/DA's newest member before immediately clarifying that he was joking. Then he said that he was Akali's bodyguard to which the girl pointed out he looked a little young for that. He then replied by saying that no one would ever see it coming.

Akali made a mental note to gift him the spiciest bowl of ramen possible.

Half an hour passed before the duo and the group of fans said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

"I'm really sorry about that," Akali apologized as they boarded their train, this time empty enough for them to be able to sit next to each other.

"No need to apologize," Akira assured as he folded his hands on his lap. "People really like your music, some to the point where they want to wave you over and let you know personally. I think that's pretty cool."

"Yeah, it's cool," she let out a breath, "but you didn't sign up to stand around for the better part of an hour and wait on me."

She focused on his eyes, the soft shade of gray further dulled by the circular frames he wore. It didn't take much to find the warmth in them, but there was also a hint of humor she had started noticing when he was about to say something snarky or smooth.

Her apologetic expression shifted to express the happiness she'd been feeling all day, "what?"

He grinned for a moment before scratching at his neck and looking away, "nothing."

She laughed, "tell me!" she playfully demanded as she slid her posture forward, trying to get a better angle to see his face.

"I'll tell you later," he turned back, his grin replaced by a smirk.

"Fine," she leaned into her normal posture and adjusted her hat. "If I can't say sorry can I at least say thanks?"

"What for?"

"For being patient and at least pretending that you enjoyed yourself."

"I did enjoy myself."

"I'm glad, because so did I. I've enjoyed all the time we've shared so far."

Akira pouted, "I was setting up to say something like that."

She giggled, moving a hand to her mouth for a moment. "I know. You were just too slow. I think it's my turn to do more of the smooth talking for once." She playfully flicked his nose to which he responded by wiggling it.

"Is that what I've been doing?"

"You know that's what you've been doing."

"Do you think Akali knows?"

"She may have caught on."

* * *

Inokashira park was as beautiful as several travel guides had claimed. It was on every tourist's radar for good reason, but despite visiting Japan a few times before, Akali hadn't gotten the chance to see it in person. Its breathtaking scenery was a marvel in the spring when cherry blossoms began to bloom, but that didn't mean the duo's decision to visit it in the fall was anywhere near a mistake. Many would argue that the park's transition to fall was just as marvelous as its transition to Spring, and Akali was inclined to agree with them.

The pair walked by several couples enjoying the park's scenery this time in the afternoon, the sky shifting its color as if declaring that it would not be outdone by the leaves below.

"Wow," Akali began, keeping stride with Akira, "if this is what it looks like in person and in the fall, I can't even imagine what it looks like in Spring."

"It's pretty mesmerizing," he replied, "but funnily enough, that's not why I was invited here the first time I came."

"Oh? Why were you invited then?"

"My friend wanted me to help her train."

She hummed, "it would be a great place to go for a run, but personally I'd rather take it slow."

"Well it wasn't like that," Akira shook his head, "it wasn't physical training. She had it in her head that a great way to make her heart stronger was to have me hurl insults at her for however long."

Akali bit back a laugh, "that's an interesting way of going about it. What'd you do?"

Her companion stopped moving and looked her dead in the eye, "I called her an airhead."

The laughter she was containing broke free. It wasn't so much the statement as it was the delivery that got her, and if he had stopped for effect then she had to commend him because it worked. His look of satisfaction as they began moving again assured her that she wasn't too far.

"So did it work?"

"Well at first she nodded with a big smile on her face and asked me to keep going, but she quickly realized that it was less than ideal."

"Did you say something that crossed the line?"

"Nah, it felt too ridiculous to keep going and I asked if we could stop to which she claimed victory over that round. But then she came to the conclusion that yeah, it didn't really work."

"You have some interesting friends."

"That's one way to put it," he adjusted his glasses with a smirk. "One of them likes to eat lava for lunch."

"What do you- Oh ha ha." She shoved him playfully to make up for her brief lapse and quickly recovered with a remark of her own, "is that weirder or the same as having full conversations with a cat and living in the attic of a coffee shop?"

Akira didn't reply, instead picking up his pace, "oh hey look the place is just up here."

They arrived at arguably the most iconic part of the park and that was the Inokashira pond. Its placid water reflected the sun's rays, displaying a wonderful array of colors on its calm surface. A low wooden fence prevented them from moving any closer, but their shaded view from atop the park's incline was more than enough.

"Well, your friends are two for two so far."

"I'll be sure to let them know you approve."

With that comment they gave their voices a rest, instead just standing and admiring the section of nature that had been left for people to simply enjoy. A soft breeze blew through the park, whisking away eager leaves while carrying the laughter of children and the joy of lovers. There wasn't a single ripple on the pond's surface, providing a stable center for the constant metamorphosis of the world around it.

Akali couldn't help but feel a little awkward. Everything here felt connected in one way or another, whether by the group effort that was the coming of fall or simply by the pond in front of them. In a way it felt like they were the only two that weren't connected, at least, not physically. She may not have had a ton of experience with relationships, but she'd be lying if this wasn't the perfect moment for them to be holding hands like in some of the movies she'd sometimes find Kai'Sa watching.

She couldn't do that now could she? I mean, they were just friends, not to mention she had only met him yesterday. It was too much too fast, for sure. Besides, there was no way she could do it, her hands were in her jacket pockets and his were in his jean pockets. The idea would have to be vocalized and there was no way that was happening.

In a way, this situation was kind of frustrating. The last time she had felt close to someone this quickly was when she met Ahri, but even that was different. Not to mention everyone she knew that was friends with Ahri had the same experience. There was just something about her that was so likeable and brought out the best in others, some would argue there had to be if Evelynn was a member of your group.

Befriending Akira felt the same way up to a point. He made her want to be the best version of herself, but it was more than that. She wanted to be able to hold his attention for as long as possible, with Ahri she didn't feel one way or the other.

It didn't help that he was more difficult to read than K/DA's fan appointed leader, especially when Akali was trying to understand her own feelings. When he wasn't smiling he had a very neutral expression, his glasses obscuring the path to his eyes. There was no telling what he was thinking, but if she didn't know him she wouldn't have paid that fact any mind. The same pair of glasses helped him blend in with everyone else around him, as displayed by the fact that only one person had talked to him when she was talking to fans.

Akali never liked keeping her feelings or thoughts concerning others internalized. If you want to know something ask it, if you want to say something say it. But the butterflies that wandered the park somehow made their way into her stomach so she convinced herself to take things slower.

"So-" they both began, cutting each other off.

"You can go first-" they both said again.

"Well I was just going to say-" they turned to face each other, Akira finally motioning with his hand for her to go first.

Akali nerves began to calm a little, "you live in a coffee shop that you work for, you know some great hang out spots, and you have interesting friends. What else do you do?"

"A normal person can't be that interesting to someone who is part of a world class band," he replied earnestly.

Her smile weakened significantly, "you haven't treated me differently or assumed things about me up until this point because I'm labeled a 'popstar'. Please don't start now."

"Sorry," he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Right now I go to school during the week, hang out with friends, and manage my time between three on call jobs."

Akali did a mental double take at the last comment, "three on call jobs? Why do you need so many?"

"I don't really need them all," he shrugged, "they just require me to do different things so it changes things up."

"So the coffee shop is one."

"Not including the coffee shop."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

She shook her head and turned back toward the pond, "that sounds like a lot on top of college or university."

A weird cough from Akira brought her attention back to him.

"High school."

Akali froze for a moment, he was younger than her? He didn't look it at all, nor did he act it. She just assumed he was probably a year or two older than her.

"I'm seventeen," he answered her unspoken question, relief washing over her as she realized he was only two years younger than her.

"Well that's good to know," she smirked, "my age is a secret."

"Fair enough."

"I forbid you from looking it up."

"How do you know I haven't already?"

"Let's hear it then," she challenged, wiggling an eyebrow.

"Thirty."

She playfully punched him in shoulder, "jerk. I'm only nineteen-"

"-years older than eleven," he added, clutching his shoulder in mock pain.

She waved him off, "yeah yeah, tell me about your job mister 'I get hired by different places because life is too easy.'"

"I never said that," he attempted to correct her as he sat down on the low fence, Akali opting to stay standing.

"I never said I was thirty," she paused before gesturing to his makeshift seat, "that doesn't look even a little bit safe."

There was nothing behind the small fence to catch him should he fall off. If Akira fell backward he'd tumble down the incline for a solid minute before slamming into a tree if not just go directly into the pond.

Of course, all he did was shrug.

* * *

They chatted until the sun finished hiding under the horizon, the park noticeably becoming less populated.

Akira talked about his jobs, his resume sure to be far more impressive than most high schoolers his age. He was a florist, a cashier, and a bartender as well as a barista. He had a story for each job, Akali's favorite being about one of his first bouquet orders. The person supervising him had to leave early but they asked him if he could finish the last order. It being one of his first days he was still unfamiliar with all of the meanings behind each flower and as it turns out, the bouquet was meant to be a part of a proposal to a completely unrelated florist. This lead him to make a grave error. He had mistakenly paired flowers together that would normally be seen as decoration for a funeral.

Akali talked a little about being in a popular K-Pop group and what it was like to perform. Despite it currently not being her favorite topic, she surprisingly felt proud sharing what she had accomplished alongside her bandmates. When talking about this subject she normally felt like she was bragging or coming off as full of herself, but Akira just listened intently. She also changed her mind about the safety of the fence, eventually sitting next to him.

"I always hate asking this," she confessed, "but I'm really curious. How'd you hear of K/DA?"

"A friend of mine heard your music and got hooked and just had to show the music video for Pop/Stars to everyone she knew."

Her smile was filled with pride, "I'd ask what you thought about it but I don't think my heart could take it so don't tell me." She stood up and stretched her arms as she turned back to Akira. "Maybe I should try your friend's training method to strengthen it."

He shook his head as he leaned back in his seat, "it's already been debunked."

"You're right. Plus I don't think there is anything you could say that would offend me."

He scoffed, "you have bad taste in ramen."

The expression on her face became dangerous as she placed her hands on his chest, "it was nice meeting you, Akira."

He responded with the same expression, his hands holding onto her arms.

They stayed that way for a moment, both with mischievous glints in their eyes. Akali's heart began to beat rapidly as she realized that she was now making physical contact in a way that lasted longer than a playful punch or push. Not only that but she could feel Akira's heart doing the same thing. Her face was getting warmer by the second, but this was the time she decided that she wouldn't let her nerves win.

As such, Akira was the one to break the unexpected moment, slowly standing up and gently pushing her arms back before letting go. "We should probably get going, I have class tomorrow and I still have some studying to do."

"Mhm," she hummed hesitantly, "Morgana is going to be upset with us, it's well past six."

"It's alright," he assured, "I'll take the heat."

"My hero," Akali raised a hand to her heart before they shared a laugh and headed toward a train station together for the third time that day.

The soft breeze had remained, allowing trees to wave goodbye as the pair enjoyed a silent walk back, the occasional brushing of knuckles the only conversation they needed. The trains that lead them home were not the same, and they split at the boarding platform, finding their voices once more.

"You should give me your number," Akali suggested, "you know, just so I can make sure you're still alive when Morgana is through with you."

"Probably a good idea."

She added his number to her contacts, but as she hit save she quickly looked up with a shocked expression. "Your train is about to leave!" she shouted, pointing over his shoulder.

"I still have-" Akira turned to make sure his train wasn't in motion but was cut off by the feeling of Akali's soft lips on his cheek. She made sure to board her train before he had the chance to react, a look of victory on her face as she saw the one of surprise on his.

His poker face had been broken once more, but instead of it being because of spicy ramen it was because of her.

That feeling was sweeter than any flavor of coffee.

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaaaaahhhh this is fluffier than Haru's hair! Believe it or not, it's all going somewhere! Kinda… Maybe… I like fluff.


	4. Chapter 4

**C8H10N4O2** **(Part 4)**

 **A/N:** I thought I was going to have spoilers in this one, but it ended up not going as far as I thought it would. Next chapters there will be for sure though.

* * *

 **K/DA Group Chat:**

 **Ahri:** Gooooood morning, Akali! How's your vacation going?

 **Akali:** Vacation?

 **Evelynn:** You know she's up to something if she's up this early.

 **Kai'Sa:** Definitely! :P

 **Akali:** I'm getting ready for our practice.

 **Kai'Sa:** Can't wait to see what you've come up with because it looks like you've found your 'inspiration'!

 **Akali:** Did I miss something?

*Evelynn has posted a link*

 **Evelynn:** According to this article, it sounds like you were missing your other half.

 **Evelynn: "** K-Pop's Hip-Hop Ninja on a stealth mission to get ramen with unknown partner. Is he a friend or something more?"

 **Akali:** You can't be serious.

 **Evelynn:** You can tell whoever wrote this hasn't heard a single one of our songs. "Will there be some mention of him in their newest album?" Get real.

 **Ahri:** You two look pretty cute waiting in line together at least.

 **Kai'Sa:** Yeah, I can't stand when they take candids of me. It's like they take the worst picture on purpose.

 **Akali:** You guys are just going to believe this?

 **Evelynn:** Pictures are worth lots of words, or whatever it is they say in English.

 **Kai'Sa:** A picture is worth a thousand words*

 **Evelynn:** Whatever.

 **Akali:** Akira and I aren't dating.

 **Ahri:** He has a name!

 **Kai'Sa:** What else do we get to learn about him? :D Do we get to know how you met and when?

 **Akali:** It's a long story and I was going to tell it when I got back, but I guess I can explain during the call.

 **Ahri:** Can't wait to see you blush in HD!

 **Akali:** I'm not going to blush!

She blushed.

* * *

No matter how many times he ran it over in his head, to Akira, the day before didn't seem real. His normal Sunday had called for heading to Shibuya and shopping around to see if he found anything that would help the Phantom Thieves, but instead he ended up hanging out with someone who was quickly stealing HIS heart.

He hadn't expected to hit it off as well as he did with Akali the evening he first met her. Sure, he did start using his experience from bartending to help him get along with people at Leblanc, but it never felt like he dominated their conversation. She always seemed to match his energy, rising to make jokes and snarky remarks to combat his own. Before he knew it, it had somehow become a battle to see who could fluster the other first.

Not that he minded, winning felt amazing and losing felt just as good. The fact that he could claim victory a time or two wasn't even what was sweet about it, it was seeing the quick look of surprise on her face before she looked away to hide a smile. Knowing he had that effect on someone like her was more than he could ever ask for. And when she claimed victory it often lead to him feeling happier than he thought possible. Even if Futaba had never become a huge K/DA fan and he had never known that Akali was a famed popstar, he liked to believe that everything would've still played out the same.

Spotting his reflection in the bathroom mirror missing his glasses made him wonder if things would've played out the same if she saw what he looked like without them. Not that he believed he was less attractive this way, but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't noticed how much more approachable having them made him look. After all, that was the entire reason he wore them. It also made him question how much of himself he was truly being around her if he was still wearing that mask. But it was a question he was pretty certain was just his nerves making him second guess things. Being the leader of the Phantom Thieves forced him into situations that required him to grow up quickly, and understanding whether or not he was thinking clearly was one of the first things he learned so his confidence wasn't compromised. At least, not in a way that could be seen by his fellow Phantom Thieves.

Pi! Pi! Pi! Pi!

Akira continued to brush his teeth for a moment before looking down at the sink where his phone was. His heart skipped a beat when he saw his lock screen notify him that Akali had sent him a text, something he hadn't expected this early in the morning. They had talked a little before they went to sleep, mostly just telling each other how much they enjoyed spending the day together. He was going to wait a moment before answering, but the text notification immediately transitioned to a call notification.

Quickly finishing his current task, he picked up his phone and answered. He should've just said hello or good morning, but instead his brain decided it was a good idea to start their flustering competition early.

"Miss me already?" he asked as he exited the restroom and headed upstairs to his room.

Fortunately it seemed to not be as dumb as it sounded in his own head as she didn't react adversely to it. Instead he heard her let out a short laugh before replying.

"Sounds like someone just woke up," she hummed.

"Well, I do have school."

"Right… uhm..." she replied, seeming a bit hesitant as if she had something important to say.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's just that I'm kind of annoyed that I have to even ask you this."

"Ask me what?" Akira inquired while waving away Morgana who was trying to figure out who he was talking to. Had it been 'Lady Ann' there might've been hell to pay, even if they'd been friends for a while now.

"If people start asking you questions about me, can you please decline to answer?"

"Sure, but why are people going to ask me questions about you?"

"I'll send you the link."

Akira tabbed out of the call application and opened his text messages. There he found the link she was talking about. It lead to an article posted in the gossip section of the Maiasa that had a picture of Akira and Akali smiling at each other as they waited in a line in Ogikubo. He let out an annoyed groan as he read the contents, but that didn't upset him nearly as much as when he read who wrote it: Ichiko Ohya.

"That was basically my reaction," Akali replied to his annoyed groan. "Woke up this morning to texts from my friends teasing me about it."

"I'm sorry," Akira apologized, his voice becoming noticeably somber.

That seemed to surprise her on the other end, "huh? What for? It's not a big deal that we were seen together. I'm more sorry that people might start bugging you with questions about me."

"It's not that," he replied as he sat down on his bed, "I'm not someone you want to be seen with."

"What do you mean? If anything it's the opposite, I'd want other people to see how happy you make-" she stopped abruptly, maybe realizing what she just said. It was something that should've made him want to fly, but instead it only made him feel worse.

"It's not something I want to talk to you about on the phone," he admitted, "and I gotta finish getting ready for school."

"Can we talk about it in the afternoon then?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"I'll meet you at Leblanc."

"Okay, see you."

The call ended and Akira fell back onto his mattress.

"What was that about?" Morgana asked from his perch on Akira's desk.

"The world reminding me that, apart from meeting you guys, I can't enjoy nice things."

* * *

Lots of things about Akali had changed over the short time that had passed since she was born, but one thing that continued to remain was her inability to be patient. It didn't make her bossy or demanding, but it definitely did have an effect on her when she had to wait for something. Her morning routine had dragged on painfully thanks to her inability to distract herself from what Akira had said.

 _I'm not someone you want to be seen with._

What did that mean? Did that mean that he felt his lack of fame would just bring her down? Or was it just his version of 'it's not you, it's me'? Maybe HE didn't want to be seen with her and he was just trying to be nice about it. He seemed like the type of person who would lower people down gently. After all, she had yet to see him be mean or rude to anyone.

Could it be that she had gone too far by kissing him? In that moment it felt like the best idea in the world, but never once had she thought about the consequences. Her nerves began running wild again, hadn't she conquered these? Wasn't that one of the reasons she was so bold before getting on the train? Was that the only reason she kissed him? To prove to herself that she was in control of her nervousness?

No, that was stupid and she knew that thought was stupid. She did it because she wanted to show she was interested despite how nervous he made her feel. Not that he knew he made her nervous, at least, she hoped he didn't.

It hadn't helped that her video call with the other members of K/DA had been full of being teased about the whole situation. She skimped on the details, not telling them the specifics of every interaction or the phone call she had that morning. It would've just been more ammunition for them. Not that they were doing it maliciously or anything, but it made it easier to hide how she actually felt about the whole thing. She loved her three bandmates to death, but she didn't feel comfortable enough to completely share her emotions with three people at once.

There was still plenty of daylight to burn by the time she had finally put on her outfit that consisted of black leggings, a long white t-shirt with matching trim, a purple hoodie that paired well with the color of her high-top sneakers, and of course her hat. It hadn't been long since she had finished her time in high school in Korea, but she couldn't remember the wait for school to be let out being this agonizing. Even after having a quick lunch in the hotel restaurant she still had around two hours to kill before Akira would be waiting for her at Leblanc.

Two hours alone with nothing but her thoughts sounded the furthest thing from ideal. She knew she needed to talk to someone about this, but it wouldn't be the other three in K/DA. It would feel weird admitting that she had held some info back, even though she knew they wouldn't mind. Ahri was probably busy anyway, Kai'Sa not so much but Akali didn't feel as close to her, and Evelynn probably wouldn't give her the advice she was looking for.

There was one person she could talk to, but she hadn't been replying to her texts as of late. If she did it would be a really quick answer that didn't leave much room for conversation. But after doing the time conversion in her head, this was the best time to catch her.

Now determined, she grabbed some Pocky form a vending machine in the hotel lobby and headed back to her room. She sat cross-legged on her bed and opened her laptop, her mouse cursor flying through the interface before hitting the 'call' button with a video camera icon.

Her screen came to life after two rings, the view of a queen-sized bed greeting her from the perspective of what was most likely a nightstand. The person she called probably answered from their phone.

"Looks like you finally caught me," Akali's friend said in English from somewhere off screen. It hadn't been too long since she had heard that low voice, but it always surprised her how comforting it was to hear.

"Looks like," she replied, switching to match her friend's language, "I was starting to think you had finally had enough with your gacha games and smashed your phone."

"I've said one thing and you're already making fun of my sacred gachas? How dare you!"

Akali's friend stepped into frame, revealing a blonde woman in baggy pajamas as she got into bed. The motion of her turning toward her phone after getting under her covers revealed that one side of her head was shaved before it was hidden by her pillow.

"You did eat microwaveable ramen for a month so you could keep paying for summons."

"Oh my god," she stressed the syllables in the expression, "I was exaggerating that time and you know it."

"Do I?"

"Yes! Now can we move on?"

Unfortunately for Akali's friend, the blonde's phone seemed to be in on the joke too, the iconic notification sound of a popular gacha game in Korea playing loudly over the call. The sharp chirp being that close to her friend's microphone would normally cause Akali to wince, but she was too busy laughing as her friend scrambled to mute her phone sounds.

"I can't believe I'm sacrificing sleep for this," the blonde complained with a smile on her face.

"Isn't it only seven over there?"

"Yeah, but after the busy week I just had, I'll take all the sleep I can get."

"Do you want me to call you back later then?" Akali asked, an apologetic look on her face.

"Nope," the blonde replied. "You called me for a reason other than flaming me for my gacha addiction, and I want to hear it."

"Kay, you should sleep. It's really not-"

"If it wasn't that important you would've just texted me," 'Kay' interrupted confidently. "Now I'm convinced it's twice as important."

Akali let out a sigh before replying, "I called to hold you accountable."

"For not replying to your texts?"

"For recommending that cafe in Yongen to me."

"Was it that bad? I remember loving it."

"That's the problem!" Akali exclaimed, allowing her full emotions to be displayed, "I walked in to get coffee and walked out with a crush on the barista that works there."

Kay grimaced, "I mean it's been a year or two since I've been there, but if I'm thinking of the same guy, he seems a little old for you doesn't he?"

Akali blinked, quickly realizing that her friend probably hadn't met Akira. "No, not that one! There's another one."

"That is your age?"

"Yes."

She went on to explain the situation, this time not skipping over the details and mentioning the phone call. Just talking about it out loud to Kay helped her find an anchor somewhere in the sea of uncertainty.

"If he has a brain and actual taste, he has feelings for you too."

"You're my friend, that's what you're supposed to say…"

"It's what I'm supposed to say because being honest is what I'm supposed to do. You didn't smash me in almost every video game we've played together by being uncertain. You also wouldn't be in a position to fly to Japan to take a break if you had let uncertainty run you."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts, if he said exactly what you told me then there must be something about him that he thinks will reflect badly on you. You won't know until you talk to him."

Akali sighed, "the waiting is killing me."

"You'll be fine," Kay assured, "and Akali?"

"Mhm?"

"If things work out between you two, I'm definitely taking credit for you guys meeting."

* * *

If Akali was asked to describe Akira's room in one word, the word she'd have to use is: temporary. He hadn't been joking about living in the attic, and there were still signs of it being used for storage with a few boxes and bags being neatly stacked by the stairs leading up to the room. Thankfully, there was a rather large window on the far wall, preventing the room from feeling stuffy or claustrophobic.

Aside from the boxes, the room was rather spacious, in fact it barely looked lived in. The only signs of it belonging to someone came in the form of a desk in one corner, a bed in the other, a TV and couch combo, and a Rise Kujikawa poster hanging on a wall.

The feeling of it being temporary came from the fact that, in a way, it reminded her of her hotel room. Minus the poster, the room lacked any real personality, just like her own. It had a bed with simple furniture, but it wasn't really designed for someone to spend more than a few hours in it while awake.

Akira had been sitting on his bed looking at his phone when she entered, doing her best to quell the fact that she felt a little awkward just walking into his room. She had ended up arriving at Leblanc a few minutes earlier than he had and was halfway through a cup of coffee when he walked through the door. Something felt wrong about taking a cup she had ordered up to his room, and the idea of just leaving it unfinished felt twice as bad. At least that's what she told herself, not wanting to admit that she wanted yet another minute to try and steel her nerves first.

He was in his school uniform, a combination of a white turtleneck, black blazer, and plaid pants that he managed to look good in. The idea of plaid on someone's legs seemed garish in her head, but in practice, at least on Akira, it looked nowhere near as bad as she thought it would. The outfit made him look… in line. Just like on Saturday when she first saw him, he seemed very plain and ordinary with nothing giving away his witty, snarky, and smooth personality. Based on looks alone he seemed like the type of student you'd gloss over in a yearbook with most people remembering that he was there but not who he actually was.

"Where's Morgana?" she heard herself ask, unsure exactly why.

Akira pocketed his phone and stood up, motioning toward the couch as he moved to it. "I left him with a friend before I went to school this morning."

"Oh right," Akali replied as she sat down next to him, "for some reason I had it in my head that he went to school with you."

That caused him to laugh a little, something about it sounding somewhat… hesitant?

"We did find out he fits in my backpack."

"Explaining the meowing would probably be kind of difficult though, people would probably think you're pretty weird."

"Yeah… he's a real chatterbox." Akali watched him let out a slow breath as he ran his hands over his legs, getting any creases out of his pants. His focus was momentarily directed toward the wood paneling under his shoes before he looked back at her with a weak smile. "I'd probably rather be known as the weird kid that meows instead of what people actually think I am though."

The sad tone of his voice caused an invisible hand to momentarily crush her heart. He sounded weak, exhausted, and defeated. Almost as if it was better not to acknowledge the comment and just change the subject. But, she couldn't.

"Does this have to do with what you said this morning?"

He nodded, "you're a celebri-"

"Please don't bring that up," Akali protested, putting a hand up to stop him. "It doesn't matter to me that you're not famous or that you might be the least popular person in school. I know I like spending time with you and that's all that matters to me."

His weak smile remained as he raised a hand to gently bring hers down, the feeling of his touch sending warm shocks throughout her body. When she shook his hand the first time she met him she had been wearing gloves, now that she wasn't she could feel just how soft his fingers were. His gesture carried both comfort and dread. Comfort that he felt close enough to her to hold her hand, even if it was momentarily, but dread that he was assuring her that what he was referring to wasn't that simple or inconsequential.

"I know you don't like it when your popularity is brought up, but in this case, as much as I don't want it to, it does matter Akali."

"How?"

He sighed, "because it could have a real effect on your career if people keep seeing us together and decide to do some digging to find out who I am."

"I don't understand," she shook her head slowly, "what could be so bad about you that it would affect my career?"

"I have a criminal record."

* * *

 **A/N:** DRAMA IN MY FLUFF?! GET IT OUT! Yeah, things are happening, sorry this one took longer than the others without it necessarily being longer than the others. There were some parts that weren't panning out the way I wanted so I had to do some rewriting along with some lack of immediate motivation striking. I initially wasn't going to end it here, but it felt too good not to along with it feeling a little disjointed if I just continued after that statement. (On the plus side I kinda have a head start on the next part.)

Also, I wouldn't be surprised if League players could immediately figure out who Kay is, and I just want to say that I love the idea of her being addicted to something as innocent as gacha games under the very 'metal' exterior. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**C8H10N4O2** **(Part 5)**

 **A/N:** Minor correction! K/DA Akali has violet eyes, but I mistook them for blue on the website cause of the lighting. Gonna go back and fix that, but woops that's awkward.

* * *

The amount of regret Akira felt the second his confession reached Akali's ears was immeasurable. Her face was frozen in a state of shock as if he had just commanded his Persona to cast bufudyne. Her lips moved, but nothing was said. When she stopped trying, he looked down at his hands in his lap. He had to look away, look at anything but the inevitable look of disappointment that he knew was coming. He enjoyed watching Akali express herself, but this was one face he refused to see.

They sat in silence for a while, and for the first time it was not comfortable. There was no amount of hamster metaphors that could fix this, and even if there was, Akira wasn't in the mood to say them. His criminal record had been a tough pill to swallow the first time he heard it out loud, but over the past few months attending Shujin he had gotten used to it being shoved down his throat.

So why did this feel worse than the first time?

He couldn't kid himself. He knew exactly why it felt worse. It was because even though he had been able to form relationships with several different types of people during his time in Tokyo, this was one he wouldn't be able to keep. Even if he and the woman who testified against him knew that he was wrongly convicted, it wouldn't matter. The public didn't know, and if there was no way to prove his innocence to the judicial system, there was no way to prove his innocence to the public. People may ask him questions about Akali, but the truth was, they'd have way more questions to ask her.

If there was one thing he knew, it was that people loved to be vindicated for any negative emotions they may have.

"I don't believe it…" he heard Akali say, her voice a ghost of a whisper.

He turned back to face her.

She shook her head, as if trying to add more confidence behind what she had just said, "I don't believe you have a criminal record. This has to be some sort of sick joke."

"Would you prefer if I had made this up?" his voice unintentionally came out as quietly as hers had.

That stopped her for a moment, "no, but I don't believe someone like you would commit a crime on purpose." She drew a shaky breath before she turned to face him, her violet eyes holding such a look of sorrow that they almost completely betrayed the little confidence her voice did have. "I don't believe I'd have feelings this strong for someone who would do something like that."

He swallowed hard, a lump quickly forming in his throat, his mind not even registering what she had just admitted. "You don't want to believe it, and you don't even know what I was charged with."

That response was the move that shattered her somber expression, causing her to straighten her posture and lean towards him, her tone shifting from disbelieving to demanding, "then tell me! You didn't ask to talk about this in person to just leave me in the dark did you?"

The sudden shift sent a shock through Akira's system. He didn't mean to leave her in the dark, but that was exactly what he had just done. Well, he could tell himself he didn't mean to, but he had. Things would be easier if she just took his confession at face value and left, went on with her life and avoided jeopardizing her fame any further. Instead he had just hurt her in an attempt to get her to leave, and he was lying to himself if he thought the outcome would've been any different. If she believed in him to the point where she didn't think he would intentionally commit a crime then she wasn't going to just give up on their friendship.

He took in a deep breath, "I was charged with assault."

Her demeanor didn't change, but she didn't say anything immediately, possibly processing all the different situations in which she could see him assaulting someone. She stared at him long and hard as she did this, her eyes lighting up when she found what she wanted to say.

"You were defending someone."

It was his turn to be frozen in shock. She had figured out what sparked it all in less than five minutes without asking any questions.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

He nodded, "yeah, you're right."

"Tell me what happened."

He did. He told her about about the woman calling for help, the drunk guy falling over and hurting himself, and the false testimony that landed him with a societal life sentence. As he told it, Akali grew visibly more frustrated, her hands balled into fists by the end of it.

"That's so unfair!" she near yelled.

All Akira could do was nod. He didn't have a response for that any of the times his friends had said it. "Sadly, it doesn't matter."

"It does matter! Your life is going to be harder all because of one big lie!"

"I'll manage, it happened months ago so it doesn't really bug me any-"

"It should!"

He gave her a weak smile, "it does, but I just say it doesn't. If I say it enough maybe someday I'll believe it."

She took a deep breath when he said that, placing her elbows on her legs and resting her head in her hands. "What about your parents? What did they say?"

"They didn't, they just sent me here."

"...I know the feeling."

* * *

In the span of three days Leblanc managed to vary wildly when it came to the emotional significance that it held within Akali's mind. On Saturday she had been indifferent and uncertain, only really heading there to have a potentially quiet place to write with some at least mediocre coffee to accompany it. On Sunday she was excited to tackle her work and to speak with Akira once more, the promise of welcoming company causing a smile to tug at the edges of her lips. And now, on Monday, she didn't feel indifferent, she didn't feel excited, and the smile was nowhere to be seen.

All she felt was defeated.

She had wanted Akira to be joking or exaggerating, but she knew neither would be the case. Instead he laid out what was simply the truth, in the eyes of the law he had committed a crime. And that was all anyone else would see if they didn't take the time to get to know him and hear his side of the story.

He had been right, she didn't want to believe that she had feelings for someone who did someone atrocious. But the thing was, that didn't really matter because _she_ had been right. He hadn't committed a crime on purpose, hell he hadn't even committed a crime! If anything, his crime was being at the wrong place at the wrong time, but it was the kind of person he was that lead him there. He heard someone call for help and he went to help them, if she hadn't already thought he was an amazing person, she sure did now.

It had been easy to figure out he was defending someone, she had her experience growing up in a dojo to thank for that. When she first recognized the confidence that radiated off of him as he did menial tasks she knew there was something different about him. As she had assessed in that moment, it was just like the confidence her parents and their graduated students had. And if there was only one thing that she would remember either of her parents saying during lessons it was this:

 _I teach people to fight because I don't want them to._

Several students would just take this at face value and later tell others that the statement didn't make any sense. Others would take the time to try and understand it, eventually walking away with their own interpretation. Akali was one of the latter, but even then it took seven years for her to come to a conclusion. That conclusion was what put her on the path that lead to where she is now.

"What do you mean?" Akira asked when she said she knew the feeling.

"My parents don't really want anything to do with me either." He seemed to be taken aback by that, but she continued talking before he could respond. "No, neither my or K/DA's achievements amount to much in their eyes."

"That's-"

"Just how it is," she interrupted, placing a hand on his knee to affirm her stance. It wasn't until he looked down at her hand that she realized what she had just done. Something about it just felt like the natural thing to do and it didn't take much fighting to stop her nerves from making her second guess herself.

He looked back up at her, an understanding smile on his face, "so you also just say it doesn't bug you."

She laughed, "yeah, I do."

Akali knew what question was next. It was an inevitable one, but it was also a fair one. That didn't mean she liked answering it though. No matter how many times people asked, it never got easier explaining why her parents didn't want anything to do with her. As she admitted, this whole situation was still one that she hadn't gotten over, but Akira had told her about his past so it was only fair to open up about hers. However, the question he asked wasn't the one she expected.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's because-" she stopped her preemptive answer, doing a slight double take, "huh?"

"Do you want to talk about it?" he politely repeated.

"I-" she began, instead deciding to explain her thought process, "well, you told me about your past so it's only fair I tell you about mine."

He placed a hand over hers, the warmth of his touch quickly becoming a familiar feeling. "I told you about my criminal record because if other people found out about it then it might cause some problems for you. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to talk about."

She was stunned. Even after divulging something so personal he was still thinking about her, how she felt. It caused her to shake her head in disbelief, chuckling a little, "you're making it really hard not to want to be seen with you, you know?"

It was his turn to laugh, "it's not that I don't want us to be seen together."

"I know. You're just making sure I look before I leap." It seemed like an innocent enough thing to say in response, but it caused Akira's winning smirk to make an appearance for the first time in the conversation.

"And where exactly are you leaping?" he asked.

In that moment she had come to appreciate what seemed to be his favorite facial expression, it was quickly becoming a tell that allowed her to be on alert to craft an equally winning response. She felt herself pull back when she heard this question, not in a recoiling or uncomfortable fashion, but more in a way that was akin to hiding her cards at the metaphorical poker table.

"I'm still looking, but so far I like what I see," she added a sly wink at the end, a move that would probably keep her up later that night as she tried to recall whether or not it looked like her eye was just twitching.

Both opted to stay silent for a moment after that, their hands separating. Even though Akira had been considerate, she knew it was unlikely that he didn't have any questions for her. If she was in his position she would have many, but it also felt weird going back to that immediately after ending on somewhat of a high note. She looked around the room for a topic and her eyes fell on the poster she had noticed earlier.

"Big Rise Kujikawa fan?"

He adjusted his glasses a little when she looked back at him, "a friend gave that to me actually."

"Another new friend that I haven't heard of before mister popular?"

He chuckled, "Nope, that's from the friend who wanted to train her heart at the park."

"Ahhh," she nodded slowly, almost sagely. "So who do you listen to?"

"That sounds like a loaded question," he smiled as he adjusted an imaginary hat on his head, causing Akali to laugh.

"Oh come on, you know I won't be THAT mad if K/DA's newest album isn't your favorite."

He continued his acting, adjusting his collar and wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead, "oh yeah, Burst/Suns is my favorite song off of it."

She bit back laughter, "you already told me you knew it was called Pop/Stars yesterday!"

Akira shot up from his seat and began to frantically look around, his attention mainly on the window of his room, "oh man, I hope Morgana didn't get lost on his way back!"

"Nope!" Akali caught his arm and pulled him back to the couch, he put up no resistance as he was brought back to his seat. "Your ace isn't gonna bail you out of this one!"

"Alright, alright," he sobered up, "truth is, I don't really listen to music that often."

It was her turn to stand up and look out the window, "y'know, it is getting it late, maybe we should go look for him."

"Hold on," he laughed, "that doesn't mean I don't like music. There is just never really a time where I really want to listen to something."

She was about to reply but she was interrupted by him raising up a hand.

"Well, that's a lie actually, because lately there has been something I've really wanted to listen to when I'm alone."

Akali knew were this was going, but she was all too happy to help set him up for it, "and what's that?"

He stood up and walked closer to her, "your voice."

She looked up at him, the undeniable feeling of her smile pulling the edges of her lips. Just like the coffee he made, Akira was so unapologetically sweet and she was more than happy to drink up as much of as his attention as she could. As far as she could tell, the feeling was mutual, but being inexperienced made her scared of taking the next step. Maybe she was reading it wrong and he was just a really nice guy, and if she wasn't reading it wrong they'd have to factor in distance.

He was still in school and even though he alluded to not being very popular, there was no denying that once someone got to know him and managed to capture his attention as she had, they'd fall for him too. She so desperately wanted to throw caution to the wind, to just say screw it and see if he wanted to be in a relationship with her. But now, at the absolute worst time, her brain decided to be rational.

Even if distance wasn't a factor, she was married to her work, her whole life depended on it. The whole reason she was in Japan was because she was trying to get back on track. Did she really have time to devote to a boyfriend? A boyfriend she wouldn't even be able to see regularly? Would he want that? Does he even want to date her? Just like every other time she thought about her and Akira, everything was a mess.

She did her best to hide her internal conflict from the person who was at the center of it with a reply, "well, you've got me and my voice for the rest of the afternoon… if you want."

His smile faded, "I really wish I could take you up on that offer, but I've got some studying to do and someone I have to meet with later."

Akali broke eye contact for a second and tried her best to hide her disappointment, "oh okay. But you're not saying that because of what you told me about your record, are you?" He winced a little at that and she sighed before continuing, "Akira, I'm only in Japan for a few more days and even though I have work to do in the mornings, I'd really like to enjoy my afternoons. If you don't want to hang out with me that's fine, but please don't avoid me because of what the public will think. I'm not going to let my 'image'," she nearly spat the word, "stop me from enjoying myself with people I want to be with."

He rubbed at the back of his neck, "well now I really need to meet with that person. Does an early dinner before I have to go sound good?"

She wanted to ask what was so important about the person he needed to meet with, but she just wanted this topic to be over with. "I could go for some coffee and curry."

His smile returned, "I know just the place."

* * *

It had been hard for Akira not to ask more about Akali's past or even how she was able to guess what lead him to an assault charge. It had been even harder not to push more at the fact that she had admitted she had feelings for him, but his own feelings for her put her needs and wants before his.

Their early dinner before they left Leblanc and went separate ways went on as if the conversation in his room never took place. They talked about more common subjects like his studies and the reason she was visiting from Korea. He couldn't really offer much help when it came to her writer's block, but she waved it off like it wasn't that big of a deal. Probably not wanting to sit on the subject for too long.

Unfortunately, Akira had quickly realized that the only free day he had to hang out before she flew back home was Tuesday. He was busy all Wednesday, and he promised his fellow Phantom Thieves they'd be exploring a space station on Thursday. As much as he wanted to reschedule, he couldn't do that to his job or his friend in need.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" Akali asked as they waited for her train.

"I hope so," Akira replied, his hands in his pockets. A place they wouldn't be in for much longer as he felt Akali's arms wrap around his waist.

"Thanks for dinner, and for being comfortable enough with me to share your past."

He returned the hug, "thanks for believing in me and my side of the story. I really hope this doesn't cause any trouble for you."

She giggled, "you're still on that? Please, it wouldn't be the first time K/DA had a 'scandal' even if our band is young. One of our members keeps being asked about her rumored relationships that are years old at this point."

Their embrace was broken when they heard the sound of the train growing nearer. They shared one last goodbye and Akira headed back to Leblanc to study for an hour or two before heading to Shinjuku to visit a place that had been on his mind since Akali linked him the article: Crossroads.

"Heeyyyyy!" Ohya greeted as he stepped into the bar. "Has my Phantom informant come to give me another juicy story?"

"I have," Akira replied as he took a seat next to her, "but I have something else I want to talk about first."

The journalist swirled her drink in its cup, "hmm and what could that be, ohhhh, is this about that cute singer you were with?"

Knowing Ohya for as long as he did, Akira was more than used to seeing her emotions shift in a heartbeat. The things she was going through were tough to balance even as an adult, but the alcohol wasn't doing her any favors. Yet she leaned on it like it was the only thing keeping her together.

Normally he didn't mind her demeanor, but seeing her name on the article that morning left him feeling betrayed. She knew about his past, confessed to rooting around for information on him before. Not to mention that there were few people that knew how the public reacted to things as well as she did. In his eyes she was one small step away from titling the article, "One of Korea's Favorites Hangs Out with Criminals!" Seeing a carefree Ohya after something like that was well and truly the one thing that could set him off. But he knew how volatile she was in this state and the last thing he wanted was to ruin their business partnership.

So he allowed himself a moment to calm himself and asked Lala for some water, waiting to reply until after he took a drink from it.

"Yeah, it's about her."

Ohya took a swig from her drink, "didn't know you could catch someone like that. Not that you're not a good looking kid or anything, but it was just a surprise."

"Probably not as surprising as waking up and seeing your 'friend' used you for clicks," Akira replied before he could stop himself.

The change in her expression was as subtle as a megaphone, "Hey! what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means he feels like you sold him out," Lala replied for him as he took another sip of his water.

"He knows how to speak, Lala-chan."

"It means I feel like you sold me out," Akira repeated.

"And how did I do that?"

He turned to her with his best, 'are you serious right now' expression. "If you were able to find out about my criminal record, what's stopping other people from doing the same?"

"Oh please," Ohya scoffed and waved him off, "that's not how the gossip cycle works. It's been less than 24 hours and people already forgot about you by now and have moved on. Why do you think I need more Phantom Thief info as often as I do?"

Akira shook his head, "either way, I don't want to see an article like that about me again."

"And I'll tell you what I tell anyone else who has complaints, take it up with my boss," she finished in a condescending tone. "Lala, refill!"

"Is that really all you have to say to him?" Akira heard Lala ask.

"If there has been anything I've learned these past few weeks it's that what I have to say doesn't matter."

"That's not true, he's come here and not only helped you with information but also listened to you vent. If what you had to say didn't matter, neither I nor him would lend you an ear when you're this deep into a bottle."

Ohya's laughter filled the bar, "Lala you listen to me because I keep paying, but you're right about Akira." She turned to look at him, her tone the exact opposite of the hostile one she had earlier. "Truth is, I never wanted to use you like that for an article. I didn't even take the picture. But somehow my boss came across it and wondered why my 'boyfriend' was hanging out with a huge star from Korea and I had nothing to show for it."

The journalist rested her head on the bar counter, "he doubled my quota and the day was slow so I had to run that story or else I wouldn't have made it. But it probably doesn't matter because there's no way he still believes our lie." She slammed her fist on the counter, "I'm screwed, and after getting so damn close."

Akira didn't say anything after that, instead suddenly becoming far more interested in the ice cubes in his water. He knew that there was probably a reason Ohya would write an article about him but he had gotten too emotional. Instead of asking why she had done it, he accused her of doing it without any regard for the effect it could have. Even though he reminded himself about her state beforehand, he still messed up.

His own personal reasons for being there aside, Ohya was beginning to get crushed under her work. Lying and sneaking around behind her boss' back was grounds for her termination. That meant she wouldn't figure out what would happen to Kayo, and it meant that the Phantom Thieves' popularity would plateau. This was a business partnership, and he needed her as much as she needed him.

He finished his water and sat back in his chair for a moment, his mind skimming through several different courses of action. There was one obvious one looming over him, but it meant not being able to see Akali before she headed back to Korea. As much as he hated to admit it, this was far more important than seeing someone he had a crush on.

With a deep breath Akira pulled out a pen and a notepad from his pocket.

"What's his name?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Got it out before Smash Brothers dropped, hell yeah! I think this part kind of speaks for itself, so I don't have much to add on the end of it. Hope it was worth the wait, and favorite/follow/review/drop kudos/leave a comment if you feel inclined.


	6. Chapter 6

**C8H10N4O2** **(Part 6)**

 **Akira:** I'm sorry but something came up and I won't be free tomorrow after all. :/

Akali stared at the message for what was probably the tenth time that morning. The first time she saw it she had replied almost immediately letting Akira know that it was okay and she understood. But that didn't mean she hadn't been disappointed to see it. The disappointment only mounted as she continued to check it, the lack of a follow up message confirming that this was something that wouldn't be changing.

She tried to see a positive side to this, after all, maybe it was some sort of blessing in disguise. The past couple of days had been full of thoughts surrounding Akira that stemmed from the time they spent together. Perhaps only being able to see each other for a short time, if it all, before she headed back to Korea was what she needed. Time apart could temper her feelings and show her whether or not this was just a spur of the moment thing.

Could it be that they were just two lonely people craving affection that others couldn't provide? The idea of finding that answer was terrifying.

Their circumstances put them on opposite sides of the societal spectrum, but the result seemed to be the same. Her friend group was limited to few that truly understood her, and her social status forced her to filter out people that could be trying to use her for fame. She couldn't be certain how large Akira's own friend group was, but his offhand remark about wishing his classmates only thought he was weird lead her to believe it wasn't too extensive. If people knew about his past without context, then they'd most likely filter themselves out by default.

That gave credence to the idea that he was just lonely. But at the same time, she knew she hadn't felt the desire or need for someone else in her life before. Working on her music and finding ways to break into the industry had taken up too much of her time to be able to dote on potential crushes. It hadn't been until she met Akira that she suddenly became interested in the idea of a relationship.

She knew things were moving fast, but was that so wrong? Was there really something bigger than him having a criminal record that could change her mind about him? Or if not change her mind, at the very least scare her away from trying?

Would it hurt more to try and then break up? Or would it hurt more to let someone like him slip through her fingers?

"Shibuya, this is Shibuya," a synthesized voice announced, preventing Akali from dwelling on those questions.

Not that she needed to, she already had her answers.

Adjusting her sunglasses, she stepped off of the train and headed for the underground walkway. She didn't have a particular reason to be in Shibuya other than wanting to avoid staying in her hotel all day. As attractive as staying in bed and staring at the ceiling until a lightning bolt of inspiration struck was, she didn't need to fly to Japan to do that.

Not to mention that she had tried that already, and it was clear that wasn't the solution. If thinking about it all day didn't work, then it was time to do the opposite. It was time for her to focus just on herself with no outside distractions. She could find an arcade, a bookstore, a quiet place to eat, or maybe just catch a movie. Anything that allowed her to push the thoughts that were filling her head as far back as possible.

No thinking about how much she feels like her bandmates are counting on her, no dwelling on worst case scenarios, and certainly no trying to sort out feelings she didn't completely understand quite yet.

To assist in this venture she had opted to wear a hoodie and less eye-catching attire than usual. People asking for her autograph would only bring the topics she was trying to avoid back to the forefront of her thoughts. It pained her a little on the inside to be deceptive toward people that really enjoyed K/DA's work and supported them, but it felt like it was a necessary evil.

Blending in took close to no effort in her outfit thanks to how busy the station tended to be. Luckily she got to have things both ways, and the foot traffic wasn't enough to hinder her as she walked around, letting her wander around at her leisure. Her wandering lead her to a juice stand where she purchased a drink before deciding to head for the underground mall. There wasn't anything that she wanted to buy, but maybe something would surprise her. Little did she know, it wouldn't be the wares that would be doing the surprising.

"See, even the guy at the register agrees with me!" a familiar voice belonging to a far too loud blonde male exclaimed.

"He just wanted to stop you before you asked the same question for the tenth time," another familiar voice replied, this one belonging to a blonde girl.

Akali froze in place as she studied the pair of familiar faces until the letters of their names came together. It was very difficult, and pretty close to destructive, trying to remember all of those she had fan interactions with. However, the combination of how recently she had seen them and their eccentricity allowed her to confidently recall Ann and Ryuji.

They were walking in her direction from the mall's supermarket, their school uniforms on with their book bags and recent purchases in hand. Ryuji seemed fired up about something while Ann tried to douse him with a splash of reality.

She thought about ducking into Babel Records to avoid potentially running into them, but she knew if she stepped inside she'd be in there for hours perusing new and old releases. Not to mention, the whole point was to not think about music. Instead she walked forward and successfully resisted the urge to wave at them as they walked by, but was stopped by Ryuji's voice.

"What if I sprinkled sugar on it?"

Ann stopped walking, "uncooked ramen with sugar on top is still UNCOOKED RAMEN, RYUJI!"

Shoppers within the vicinity all turned to look at the sudden exclamation with looks of confusion on their faces while Akali and a few others who had caught the conversation bursted into laughter. Ann's cheeks turned as red as her tights as she became the center of attention while Ryuji carried on like nothing changed, his posture shifting as he put his hands behind his head.

"Yeah well, eating ten cupcakes in one sitting can't be that much better anyway."

His blonde companion huffed, "whatever, let's just go to the flower shop and see if Akira is done. We have to meet with the others soon."

Akali immediately stopped laughing, her mind frozen in shock. Akira was here? He did say he worked in a flower shop but he never said which one. Maybe he had to cover a shift last second and that's why his schedule changed suddenly? But Ann said they were going to meet with others so it was unlikely he was working if school was just let out.

She mentally reprimanded herself as she turned around and began walking back to the underground walkway. Whatever he was doing wasn't her business, not that she needed the reminder, but she certainly didn't want to accidentally bump into him. Not like this anyway. The thought of the Akira that Ann mentioned not being the same one she knew didn't even cross her mind as she allowed her feet to carry her in whichever direction seemed like the quickest way to be anywhere but there.

Station Square seemed as good a place as any to get lost and she soon found herself at the top of the stairs looking for anything to catch her attention to get even further away. Going onto Central Street was a strong option, she could do any of the initial activities she had thought about on the train. Options for hiding spots popped into her head, but she didn't know where Akira's meeting place would be.

It would've been so liberating to say it didn't matter, but the reality was that it did. She didn't want to deal with how awkward I would be to run into each other after he had said he wouldn't have time to.

Indecisiveness lead her to start doing laps around the square, managing to tune out the normally colorful and eye-catching advertisements one by one. It would probably be better if she just turned around and went to Shinjuku or any other popular district. Anywhere sounded good to avoid the person who somehow managed to constantly dominate her mind.

Nodding to herself as if agreeing with the most sound advice she had heard in centuries, she turned on her heel to head back toward the underground walkway. Her streak of poor timing didn't seem to want to end just yet though, and her violet eyes immediately caught sight of Akira's messy hair as she navigated through a small crowd of students. He was loitering by the stairs that lead to her destination, Ann and Ryuji on either side of him.

Seeing him had brought the popstar to an abrupt stop, but once she regained control over her legs she quickly dashed behind the nearby lottery stand. She paid no attention to how much yen she could win as she peeked around the corner at the trio that was soon joined by two others. Today seemed far from her lucky day anyway.

Those that passed by them seemed too immersed in their own business to care about the motley group, just as the group itself seemed to have no intention of paying them any mind. Akali on the other hand got a few weird stares as one or two people took note of her strange behavior as they went on their way. She didn't care though, something in her mind convinced her that if she were to walk by the group now, they would certainly notice her. It was irrational, she knew that. After all she'd been standing right next to Ann and Ryuji earlier and they hadn't noticed.

She kept staring as if she expected something marvelous to happen, but it never did. They just seemed to be chatting, possibly deciding where to go next. With her luck they would all get the random urge to play the lottery, or follow her down into the station and take the same train that she would be on.

After five more minutes passed, she finally decided to steel herself and head toward the stairs. Given enough time, they would've eventually taken notice of someone staring at them. So instead she began walking, reminding herself that all she had to do was put one foot in front of the other.

Left, right, left, right. Lef-

Shit!

Halfway to her destination they began to move, causing her to freeze in place by the small park area of the square. They broke off into two groups and separately began walking down the steps. Ann and Ryuji were accompanied by a tall person with blue hair, one of the two that had arrived later. Akira paired off with the other new arrival, a short girl with bright orange hair who did a nervous once over of the area around her. When she turned to do so, she revealed she was holding a certain talkative cat in her arms.

Maybe this was good, if they were going downstairs to catch a train she could head onto Central Street after all. Yes this was perfect, exactly what she wanted. Fighting the urge to wipe imaginary sweat off of her brow, she turned around and began to walk away from where she saw the group descend. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that the season had suddenly shifted to winter because her body froze up once more. In the blink of an eye, everything around her had taken on a red hue with all of the day-to-day commuters disappearing just as quickly.

She began blinking rapidly, rubbing her eyes, trying anything that came to mind but to no avail. Did she faint? Was she dreaming? She looked down at her hands as if making sure she was still all there, but the answer didn't give her any confidence. Her clothes were still the same as when she bought them, no part of her body mimicking the same shift in color that her surroundings had undergone.

She was at a loss for words. Soon her breathing would begin to get quicker, her heart would suddenly decided to pound between her ears, her fingers would start to shake, and the world would begin to spin. Except, it didn't. None of that happened.

Instead, the most frightening and unexpected possibility came about in the form of a wave of unshakeable calmness that wrapped around her body like a blanket. There was no reason she shouldn't be having a panic attack at this very moment, but something inside of her kept her head level. The next thing it did was guide her toward the underground walkway that she saw Akira and his friends disappear down a moment earlier. Maybe it was a desire to be around the three people and one cat she knew instead of being alone, but that desire didn't matter if they had disappeared too. What else was there to do? Roam a city, maybe even a country that was potentially devoid of any human life?

Well, there was one other option.

She rolled up her sleeves to mentally prepare before she slapped herself across the face. The expected painful sensation spread across her cheek, but the world remained crimson. So she did it again but still, nothing changed. _"Alright then,"_ she gently rubbed her face, _"downstairs it is."_

The strange pull lead her to a sight that she could never have imagined. A group of six strangers were standing at the foot of the stairs. Each person wore a unique outfit that easily obscured their identity with four of them using black as their primary color while one blended in with their crimson surroundings. There was a sixth person down there but they were much shorter than the others, their two ears resembling those of a cat.

Her fixation with the group she had seen descend lead Akali to realize that the head count, hair colors, and heights of five of the six members were about the same as those she was spying on. She thought to call out to them, but she found her voice was caught in her throat due to an ominous chill that caused her to shudder. Her fingers moved to adjust the hood of her jacket to better shield her face only to feel them brush against her hair. That caused her to realize that at some point her hood had fallen off of her head and she quickly reached back to pull it over her hat.

Her hat?

She was certain she had left her hat in her room. Her hands quickly moved to the top of her head, feeling the lining of her K/DA cap as she did so. She took it off just to be sure and let out a gasp when she saw her hands were covered in glow in the dark paint. "What the?!"

The question managed to pry itself from her lips before she could stop herself, and soon six pairs of eyes were looking in her direction, but not before white light engulfed them all.

* * *

When Joker's eyes adjusted enough for him to recognize the familiar glass windows of a waiting booth, he immediately did a head count. Panther, Mona, Skull, Fox, Oracle, and a woman wearing a K/DA hat.

He blinked rapidly, but no matter how many times his eyes opened and closed the result remained the same. His hand instinctively moved under his tailcoat, hovering over his handgun as he cautiously stepped between his fellow thieves and the woman who had somehow followed them.

She was crouched in the corner of the booth shielding her eyes with her arms, possibly still adjusting to the sudden shift in light. Her outfit reminded him of Akali's on the day he met her, but all of the colors were different with some being much brighter. That didn't just apply to what she wore though, as her normally sangria colored hair became a neon purple while her creamy skin tone became unnaturally dark. After a moment she slowly moved her arms away from her face, revealing golden irises, hot-pink face paint, and a mask she wore over her mouth that displayed a sinister set of neon fangs.

"I-!" the fangs on her masked moved with the exclamation, "What-?" she looked in every which way around the room, perhaps seeking something familiar until Joker made eye contact with her. "Who are you people?!"

Joker remained silent, opting to give his team a once over before proceeding. Skull and Panther had looks of disbelief on their faces with the former holding his weapon over his head in an awkward stance, unsure what to do. Fox was stroking his chin, as if trying to recognize the newcomer before he made a rectangle with his fingers and held it in front of his eyes. Mona was at Joker's side, ready for anything. But the most interesting reaction was from Oracle who was shaking in place with her hands over her mouth.

"J-Joker," she stammered, "t-that's n-not.."

Instead of replying he stepped forward, causing the neon woman to crawl backwards until she backed into one of the many chairs in the booth.

"Akali?" he asked.

The sound of his voice seemed to stun her. Golden irises widening in shock as she slowly stood up with her hands pressed against one glass window behind her. Her tongue repeatedly glided over her lips before she let out an almost inaudible whisper.

"Akira?"

Joker winced at the sound of his name, a sound that when coming from her normally brought so much joy. He kept himself from replying, instead turning to look at Mona before gesturing toward the doorway of the waiting booth with a tilt of his head. Mona nodded and they began to walk outside.

"Panther and Skull, watch her. Everyone else with me."

All of their heads nodded dutifully, the looks of disbelief dispelled as Panther and Skull each took a seat and kept an eye on the newcomer. Once the four remaining members were outside facing the train tracks, Oracle took the opportunity to speak.

"Joker! What is one of the greatest K-Pop stars in Korea doing down here?!"

"As soon as I have an answer you'll be the first to know," he whispered in reply as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Could she be a Persona user as well?" Fox perked up, more directing the question to Mona who put a paw up to their chin.

"Anything is possible, but I don't sense any power coming from her."

"Same here," Oracle replied, "she's not triggering any of my sensors."

"Can you guys really sense power?" Fox asked half incredulous half impressed.

"Of course we can!" the navigator duo responded in unison.

"How come we can still end up in situations where we get surrounded then?" the swordsman asked innocently and to nobody in particular as he stared up into the ceiling.

"I'm just the vehicle!" Mona replied defensively.

"Yeah, and I'm not the one driving!" Oracle added with all three of them turning to their leader who clearly had tuned out the conversation.

His focus had shifted back to the waiting booth where Akali had taken a seat across from the two watching over her. It was clear she was anxious, her knees pressed together and her fingers interlocked on top of them while the heel of her right foot repeatedly bounced up and down. She'd look around occasionally, but any time her eyes passed over Joker's she'd immediately become far more interested in her shoes.

"We have no choice," their leader stated, "we have to take her back."

"You said yourself that this request was urgent didn't you? If we leave now we won't be able to come back until tomorrow and we still have a lot of palace to cover. " Mona reminded. "Does the journalist have that much time?"

"No matter when we leave our identities will be revealed to her won't they?" Fox asked the ceiling again.

Joker couldn't fight the feeling to wince as reality's repercussions were brought to his attention once more. He had tried to force them to the back of his mind as if he could take care of both problems easily, but his teammates were just as insightful as he was. Ohya didn't have much time. It was possible she'd be fired as early as today or as late as the end of the week. Even then, he wouldn't have another chance to step into Mementos anytime soon.

As far as identities went however, he wasn't sure if Akali had seen them transition from students to thieves. Chances were though, if she was able to follow them in to Mementos then she couldn't have been too far behind them. That was of course if she wasn't already a Persona user with the MetaNav.

His train of thought halted for a moment when he caught sight of Panther looking in his direction and gesturing toward herself and then toward one of the others outside. He looked toward his companions, "Mona, can you swap places with Panther in there?"

"You got it," the navigator nodded and began walking toward the booth.

"Also," Joker continued, causing Mona to stop and look back, "you're right, we don't have much time. I'm thinking we're going to move forward with this request unless Panther has some information that changes my mind. Your thoughts on this are valuable to me, as always." He allowed himself a smile, "I'm glad you're back."

The not-a-cat returned the facial expression, almost beaming at his leader, "thanks, Joker."

While the people in his party swapped, his mind went back to where he had left off, appreciating the silence his other teammates provided him with. Since each member had the MetaNav there was always the option to just have one person take her back and leave the rest to finish the request. It would reveal one of their identities, but that wouldn't matter if she didn't know the original person in the first place.

That ruled out Mona as well as himself.

Mona seemed to be able to effortlessly enter and leave the Metaverse whenever he desired, but Joker had never seen him transport more than himself between dimensions. Not to mention if Akali saw Morgana it would make things pretty obvious. He could just deny it, but that would just be an insult to her intelligence.

As the leader, and someone who had spent a lot of time with her, he couldn't be the one to take her back for obvious reasons. She already suspected him, but it was still something he could deny if she never saw him actually enter or exit. In the end it could be chalked up to some sort of doppelganger or something.

That left Oracle, Fox, P-

"I think she knows it's us," Panther said a little frazzled as she took Mona's spot next to Joker. "She looked at me and whispered my name to herself."

So just Oracle and Fox.

"That complicates things," Joker thought out loud, replying to both his teammate and his thoughts.

"Y'think?" Oracle replied sardonically.

"Joker, if I may," Fox popped back in, his conversation with the ceiling finished for the moment.

"You may."

"Why does she know _your_ name?"

Their _fearless_ leader cleared his throat awkwardly as his head was circumstantially put on the chopping block. He hadn't told any of his friends about his time spent with the popstar up until that point. Mainly because he wanted to respect Akali's privacy as well as the fact that Ann and Ryuji had already gotten the chance to run into her. It wasn't some huge secret that he kept safe or covered up, it was just something that he hadn't… mentioned.

The confidence he had gained by being able to truly be himself in the Metaverse all but disappeared as he came clean, "well… I kind of… spent a good portion of the past three days with her."

"WHAT?!" Oracle and Panther exclaimed in unison.

Joker turned toward his orange-haired navigator, "I thought you knew by now."

"How would I know?!"

"You did say you had cameras in the cafe..."

"I SLEEP DURING MOST OF THE DAY!"

"Wait, If that's the case then how are you present in almost all of our conversations?" Ann asked, more interested in Oracle's defense.

"Don't patronize me woman! You still haven't given me that autograph you asked her for."

The blonde turned back on their leader, "I gave it to him yesterday!"

Joker shrugged, "she was asleep when I went to deliver it after school."

"It all comes full circle!" Oracle gestured wildly with her hands.

Fox had gone back into spectator mode, just watching the chain of reactions that he had caused with a question that was, no doubt, an innocent one in his mind.

"Ugh," Panther groaned, "so what's the-"

"Shit!" Ryuji exclaimed, causing everyone to turn toward the waiting booth, just barely making out the silhouette of a fleeing popstar.

"Ryuji!" Panther and Oracle yelled accusingly as they all began to chase after Akali.

"What was I supposed to do? Throw Mona at her?"

"It doesn't matter," Joker cut in, his voice shifting to a more powerful tone but not losing any patience. "We get to her before the shadows do."

* * *

" _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"_ Akali chided herself after flying down the steps and being presented with even darker tunnels that split off in random directions.

But what was she supposed to do? Just sit there while a bunch of strangers in costumes decided her fate? She had been so close to certain that the one in the white mask was Akira, but when he didn't reply her confidence had wavered. To try and rebuild that confidence she tried to connect the other members to people she knew, but even if she was right about Ryuji and Ann she didn't actually know them. It certainly didn't help that she couldn't place names to the other two, nevermind the weird plush toy looking thing with cat ears.

"There she is!"

Akali was ripped from her thoughts as she turned to see the one with the skull mask making it down the stairs and heading toward the boarding platform she had just jumped down from. Her gaze flew back toward the dark tunnels. She couldn't take the whole group on her own, but she also couldn't shake the feeling that braving the dark maze before her was even less of an option.

It was all or nothing.

"Don't come any closer!" she yelled, slowly crouching into a defensive stance she hadn't felt the need to take in years. Her left hand instinctively reached for a pouch she hadn't known was on her hip until a few seconds ago. "I don't want to hurt any of y-"

"LOOK OUT!" the eyes behind the skull mask widened just as the other costumed strangers reached the bottom of the stairs. They all looked in her direction, their eyes growing as wide as their friend's.

Akali didn't get a chance to react as she suddenly felt the wind get torn from her lungs while she was lifted off of the ground. Her heartbeat filled her eardrums as a powerful arm wrapped around her torso, slowly crushing her against what she assumed was the chest it was attached to. All the while the sound of mad cackling and cries of agony began to consume her.

"AKALI!" It was Akira's voice, clearly distressed.

"LET HER GO!" Someone else screamed.

Her vision was fading, but she could just make out the silhouettes of the masked group running toward her, only to be stopped by big hulking masses rising up from the ground.

 _BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Gunshots filled the air as Akali's vision went completely dark.

" _It's just a nightmare!"_ she heard herself yell into the void.

" _This. Is. No. Nightmare."_ a booming voice replied from within.

" _It has to be!"_

" _And why does it have to be?"_

" _It doesn't make any sense!"_

" _Is that why you're giving up? Because you can't fathom what's happening?"_

" _Give up? I can't feel any part of my body! What am I supposed to-"_

" _You're holding back."_

" _I am not-"_

 _A pair of golden eyes suddenly appeared at the edge of the void, their sharp angles cutting through the darkness and stabbing into her focus like a dart hitting a bullseye. "You are! Fear holds you in place. Fear of failing to impress, fear of failing to meet expectations, fear of not being accepted, fear of having zero impact, but most importantly, fear of what you can do if you truly embrace the rebellion you believe you wear on your sleeve."_

Akali opened her mouth but she quickly realized she had no reply.

" _It's one thing to declare to yourself that what dissenters say doesn't matter, that you're fighting against a current in pursuit of your destination, but it's another to truly believe that. You say you've made peace with your parents, but not knowing if they've made peace with you keeps you awake at night; you say that it's okay if not every one of your creative pursuits is widely enjoyed, but you agonize over them because the thought of your work being unable to move at least one person is something you're constantly running from; and lastly, you've once said that your ability to spread happiness is because you've found it in yourself, but guilt weighs on your heart any time you pursue something that will bring you joy."_

' _But I-"_

The booming voice cut her off, the golden eyes flashing before growing larger. _"The weary, the agonizing, and the burdened will always DROWN."_

That final statement activated something from within her, all her frustration, annoyance, and anger she'd harbored for not even she knew how long fueled her reply. _"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?! I can't just do whatever I want whenever I want, that's not how things work! I can't let down people that count on me to be there, I REFUSE!"_

" _And why can't you? You did it before. You were in unfavorable situations not long ago and you decided you had to leave them no matter the cost. It didn't matter who you were hurting, you put yourself first. Do you regret that?"_

" _I-"_ Akali faltered, her voice now a whisper, _"n-no."_

" _It's time to return to using all that is within you to fuel your rebellion just as you did until now. Fight for yourself before you fight for others, for what YOU believe in before what they believe in. Those who cannot swim themselves cannot not save the submerged."_

Akali was well aware she was being talked down to, and she hated that more than anything else, but the worst thing about all of this that the voice was right. While she hadn't made it this far on her own, if she hadn't made the first step she would still be back home working toward a dream that wasn't hers. Taking that first step meant fighting to make her parents listen, fighting to hone her skill, and fighting to be recognized for what she could do. Somewhere between then and now she had stopped fighting, instead letting internal and external pressures push her toward whatever they wished. Those pressures helped her grow and become self-aware, but by allowing them to influence every single thing she did she had slowly begun to lose herself in the process.

She took a deep breath, _"Okay."_

" _Excellent."_

"Makouga!" Joker yelled, causing beams of light to fall from the heavens and strike a pair of Choronzon.

The two blue spheres of interconnected floating heads roared in unison as they fell to the ground, opening them up for an All-Out Attack that the leader of the Phantom Thieves immediately called for. This had been the exact same battle plan for the last three waves of enemies. Someone would hit them with an attack the shadows were weak to and then they'd all clean up any survivors in mere seconds.

These enemies had begun to test his patience, and it was tested yet again as another group of monsters rose to take the fallen's place. This time a pair of High Pixie fluttered into battle positions, seemingly unperturbed by what had just happened in front of them. Two shots from Joker's pistol brought about an even quicker end, the dark mist their bodies exploded into finally clearing to reveal Akali still in a large shadow's grasp.

Horror swooped underneath the Phantom Thieves' masks as they saw Akali's body had gone limp, slumped over the arm of the bipedal hulking mass of darkness like a child clutching a teddy bear. She was slowly being submerged into the shadow's torso, the disgusting creature keen on adding her face to the collection that adorned its body.

That was too much, and Joker-no-Akira lost his cool. He charged at the shadow, a primal roar that humiliated any sound the monsters made tore through his throat. Underneath his crimson gloves were white knuckles, holding his pistol and knife in a deathgrip. He leapt into the air and prepared to put several rounds into the head at the top of the shadow's body, but the sight of Akali's eyes opening stopped him from pulling the trigger.

It all happened so quickly. One second the woman covered in neon looked like she had taken her last breath, and the next she was on top of the creature's shoulders tearing off the mask it wore where its face would be. When the mask came off she backflipped off of the monster, throwing an object she pulled from her pouch at the ground, filling her area of the tunnel with smoke. All the while the hulking mass contorted into the shadow's true form, revealing a monster similar to the Chronzon that the Phantom Thieves had just defeated. The main difference was that it was a deep crimson instead of a dark blue, and it looked far angrier.

Akira landed and regained his composure, regrouping with his team that were standing still in shock. He'd beat himself up about giving into a knee-jerk reaction later, but for now they had a bigger fish to fry. The rest of the thieves got the message and they followed his lead once more, determination returning to their eyes. But before the battle could ensue, Akali's voice could be heard reverberating off of the tunnel walls in a tone that sent an unexpected shiver of anticipation up Joker's spine.

"Your window to run away… is closing."

* * *

 **(A/N):** Yup, still alive. Been busy with getting accustomed to what life is like being outside of college plus losing confidence in my skill. 75% of this chapter has been sitting on my PC since like… January and I did not like looking at any of it. Being away for a few months has made me realize that it was not as bad as I thought it was and I finally finished it.

Not sure how many people expected me to take the story this route, and I feel like the direction might be decisive, but this was my intent the entire time. Like, you can't expect me to NOT have used her almost iconic neon color scheme. (Well, iconic in the LoL community.)

I'm honestly not sure when the next chapter will come, but it will come. I'll try to make it soon since there is a bunch of Persona 5 buzz thanks to recent trailers and Joker coming to Smash this month. I'm just bad at making time for writing at the moment because all I want to do when I get home from work is play video games. I'm optimistic though, the next few chapters are the ones I've been looking forward to the most.

Thank you if you favorited, reviewed, followed, given kudos, read this far, or even just thought about this fic in your own time. I hope you still feel inclined to do so because I love to hear what readers have to say and it's crazy to me that people like what I put out. I also hope you're having a wonderful day today, and maybe you'll see another update soonish.

(Also, final note, I updated the cover to Akira and Akali fanart that I commissioned. You can see the original over on my Twitter, Suros_Six. It's pinned to the top of my feed.)


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